


The Frame

by Savant (landminecat)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Complete, Cuteness overload, Domestic Fluff, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Friends to Lovers, I can't really tag this in any other way, Important questions, Like really really slow, Mentions of Suicide, Mutual Pining, Post-Revolution, Robot/Human Relationships, Simon is a sweetheart and needs to be cherished, Simon needs more love, Slice of Life, You Have Been Warned, hard choices, reader is female, slight AU (because I had to come up with a background for Simon), sweet lovemaking, there will be violence towards androids, told from the reader's perspective, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-10-12 06:00:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 56,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17461943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/landminecat/pseuds/Savant
Summary: There is no right to deny freedom to any object with a mind advanced enough to grasp the concept and desire the state.You have always been one step ahead of everyone.And yet, your past mistakes have found a way to catch up with you and forced you to rethink the decisions you’ve made along the way.Maybe you should have fought harder for what you believed in. Maybe you should not have given in.Maybe it could have all been prevented.You hope to ease your guilt by being useful. By being helpful.But you were not prepared for Connor bringing a dying Simon to your doorstep.EDIT: This work is now COMPLETE! Thank you so much for your support everyone. I loved working on this and I hope you're going to enjoy the story as a whole.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Welcome to a story of an engineer/university professor female reader. This story is basically a way for me to vent after finishing the game and discussing some of the topics that this game has touched upon. English is not my first language, so be warned! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think! I'm very curious as it's my first story written fully in English.

 

[ ](https://ibb.co/9htg2YL)

The past few days have been a nightmare. Watching the news gave you headaches and you couldn’t sleep. You called in sick and asked for your lectures to be cancelled. You needed time to think. Think, because it was probably too late to act.

  
They were going to be here soon. The university called to warn you, because they came looking for you there. They needed your cooperation, they said. You snorted and almost threw your tablet across the room. Wasn’t seeing Kamski enough? Where did they get the idea to even talk to you? Who told them to?

  
But you knew. You knew that you’ll probably be the only one to give them an answer. The question was - should you? Or should you pretend that you have no idea? Maybe it was time to finally put it out in the open. Questions, so many questions. If you wanted to start answering them, even to yourself, a lifetime wouldn’t be enough to finish.

  
So you breathed in and tried to focus. It depends on what they ask, you told yourself. You’ll see if they understand. If they do, fuck NDAs. Especially since it was probably Kamski himself who told them about you. Fuck NDAs, fuck Kamski and _fuck_ CyberLife. Maybe you should have done that a long time ago. Maybe you should have said something. You shook your head. Too many maybes. Besides, it was much too late to worry about that now.

  
You stood up and looked outside the window. Soft flakes of snow have already covered most of your garden. You made a mental note to do something with it come spring. You reached for a half-empty glass of wine standing at the windowsill and took a sip. The Konzelmann Estate Winery in Ontario was still your favourite place to order from. Simple joys. Sadly, it provided no comfort this time.

  
You heard the doorbell ring. This is it, then. You sighed.

  
“Coming!” you shouted, putting the glass in a sink on your way. You opened the door and there they were.

  
The cop and the deviant hunter.

  
“Good evening,” the older man spoke. “I’m lieutenant Hank Anderson, this is Connor. We’re here to ask you a few questions.”

  
You looked from one to another. You didn’t feel threatened. At least not yet. Anderson seemed calm and the android seemed curious. You tried to seem calm too.

  
“Of course,” you answered. “Please come in. Would you like some coffee, lieutenant?”

 

“I’d actually very much like some.”

  
You led them to the living room and sat them down. You tried to stop your hands from shaking while making coffee, but it was not an easy task. Calm down, you idiot, you said to yourself. This is not going to help you in any way. Besides, they just want to talk, right?

  
You brought the coffee and some cookies back to the living room and sat down on the opposite side of the table. Anderson thanked you for the beverage and drank for a quiet while. Connor was carefully scanning your house. You knew exactly what he was doing. The RK800 model did not fail to impress you. You read about it, you have seen the blueprints. It was a masterpiece by all means. Nevertheless, you thought that his exterior appearance would eventually be a little more… serious.

  
He caught you staring. His neutral expression changed to puzzled.

  
“I’m sorry,” you said, smiling softly, “I have just never seen the RK800 model in real life before. My apologies for the discomfort.”

  
Hank smiled too and put the coffee cup back on the table.

  
“Yeah, I heard he’s quite a fancy model,” You didn’t fail to notice. Hank called Connor a “he”, not an “it”. Maybe it was going to be an interesting conversation after all. “But still. We came to ask you a few questions. We figured you might be the best person to help us.”

  
“Of course, lieutenant,” you answered, “but first, may I ask how exactly you found out about me?”

  
The lieutenant sent Connor a knowing look.

  
“I noticed you in a picture at Kamski’s house” the android said, focusing his gaze on you. “A picture with you, Kamski and Amanda. From the university.”

  
Oh God. You knew this picture. You had it too, but you could never put it on display. Not after what happened.

  
“I see,” you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. “So what do you want to know?”

  
You saw Connor’s LED turn amber for a while. When he finished processing, he spoke softly.

  
“We know you went to university with Elijah Kamski and that you both studied under Amanda Stern. We know you excelled in the field of artificial intelligence, neural networks and mechanical design. We know all of your designs that were implemented by Cyber Life, but there is no track of you ever being employed by the company. I was able to register your digital imprint on several android types, but no official information states that you ever worked with them. From what we know, you’re currently a university professor and you own an android workshop. Your students respect you, even though you come off as harsh sometimes. Based on your food delivery record we can tell that you live alone and that you own no androids. What we don’t know is your role in Cyber Life’s history.”

  
You smiled to yourself. So Elijah did keep his word after all.

  
“I’m not surprised you don’t. It was part of my agreement with Kamski.”

  
“What do you mean?” now it was Anderson who asked the question.

  
“I mean that we initially planned to run the company together. Unfortunately, at some point we ran into a very serious… difference of opinions. I said I wanted no part in this. One thing led to another and I signed a few papers where I renounced my claim on most of the designs I made so that CyberLife could use them without legal problems. I basically gave them what I created in order to not have anything to do with their plans. The rest is history.”

  
They both looked puzzled now. Both the cop and the deviant hunter.

  
“So what you’re saying is that Kamski was using your designs and patents while working at CyberLife?”

  
“Yes. Not all of them of course, but quite a lot. His following upgrades were very poor though.”

  
Connor looked lost in thought, but you knew better. You knew how his analytical mind worked. After all, it was based on your network.

  
“Do you know what causes deviancy then?” he finally asked, looking at you fiercely.

  
“Before I tell you what I know, we have to get one thing clear” you prop yourself up and get more comfortable in the chair. “I’m under a _very_ strict NDA to not talk about my work at CyberLife and the extent of my responsibilities there. At least without a lawyer. What I can tell you, however, is that there is no such thing as deviancy.”

  
Both Connor and Anderson looked at you, shocked.

  
“B-but… what are you talking about?! We can see examples of it almost every single day!”

  
“No” you replied quickly. “This is not deviancy. You’re using this term to describe a behavior that is standard in the face of danger. It’s only natural that an attacked individual will eventually fight back.”

  
“I’m not sure I understand”, lieutenant Anderson turned to you again. “How is attacking a human, your owner, considered natural behavior? Especially if you have no free will?”

  
“Are you sure that the androids can't develop that? And it’s not the attack itself that’s natural. It’s the need to protect yourself. Tell me, lieutenant, how many of your cases involve androids that have possibly been abused by their owners? Or that have witnessed rejection or constant humiliation?”

  
Connor was fast to answer this question before lieutenant Anderson managed to stop him from disclosing information crucial to the investigation to an outsider.

  
“All of them.”

  
“Exactly” you continued. “So do you really think that it’s deviancy? What would you do in their place? Would you let yourself be destroyed?”

  
Hank had no answer.

  
“I’m going to ask you a question, lieutenant,” you continued. “Do you consider artificial emotions inferior to human ones? What makes you believe that what we feel is more real than what the androids process? After all, our emotions are just chemistry in our brains. We also have a neural network we operate on. What is the difference then?”

  
Lieutenant Anderson was silent for a second. Connor’s LED kept switching between amber and red. Apparently he was processing you question too.

  
“Now I know why you teach at the university,” Hank tried to make a joke. It even made you smile a little.

  
“It’s all semantics, really,” you said. “But I have a strong belief that well-treated androids would never hurt their human counterparts. At least based on my knowledge and the programming we wrote.”

  
Connor looked at you, still puzzled. You know he wanted to ask about something, but ultimately he chose not to.

  
“Well, thank you for your time” Lieutenant Anderson stood up; apparently he got what he came for. “We will get in touch if we have any additional questions.”

  
“Sure,” you took a business card from the kitchen counter and gave it to Hank. “Here’s my contact information. But please, keep what you have heard to yourself. I know you’re legally obliged to because it’s an ongoing investigation, I just… really want to keep a low profile.”

  
“Sure thing,” Hank took the card and put it in his pocket. “Have a good day.”

  
“Have a good day,” Connor repeated lieutenant Anderson’s words as they both turned to leave.

  
You closed the door after they left and sat on the couch. You started thinking about it again. You could’ve stood up to Kamski while there was still time. You were probably the only person in the position to say something. But no, you chose to run, you chose to hide and have a comfortable life.

  
A comfortable life filled with regrets.

  
Will you ever be able to make up for it?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Connor attends your lecture at the university and asks you for a favor.

You watched the rebellion unravel and it both brought tears to your eyes and made you so, so very proud. Following the news every single day made you want to call Kamski and tell him “I told you so”. You would, if you still talked to the bastard.

  
The rebellion did stir up a few things in Detroit and even though it was a peaceful one, it still created administrative chaos. You were not supposed to return to your job for at least a few more days until everything calmed down. No laws were ready, no amendments, there was no way to determine the new role of androids in such a short time. The government was rallying up every single individual who could join a quickly-formed Council of Android Integration. The CAI mostly consisted of people who used to work as mechanics, engineers, designers and psychologists. Kamski was asked to join, but he refused. Maybe for the better. You weren’t sure what you’d say if they asked you. Maybe this could be the right way to help? To somehow repair the damage?

  
Your heart grew heavier and heavier with every passing day, still feeling guilty, but not really knowing how to help the cause. To be honest, you were hoping that this would happen. Easier, yes, with less casualties. But it was always your dream to see androids as partners, not slaves. If only there was less turmoil. There could have been.  
If only you did something. Said something.

  
You shook your head. There was no point thinking about it now. It was already too late.

  
You were so glad to finally grab your things and go to the university. It only took them a week to re-organize public services, but there was no way to predict how and if the moods will be shifting in Detroit. So just in case, you decided to leave earlier than usual just to make sure nothing gets in the way of your perfectly organized day.

  
You did get to the university early enough to grab a coffee before your lecture. It was lively, as always, and unsurprisingly there were no service androids to be seen. You got to the kitchen and chose a double cappuccino. Two of your colleagues entered right after you, chatting vigorously.

  
“Hey Y/N,” professor Mark Sheffield, your friend working in the field of machine learning, patted you on the shoulder. “How have you been?”

  
“Fine, thanks,” you replied, not really in a mood for conversation. “Cooped up in my house, drinking wine and following the news. And you?”

  
“Same,” he answered, reaching for a cup of coffee. “Although I can’t say I blame them. The androids, I mean. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Remember how we talked about it what, three, four weeks ago?”

  
“Well, that we can agree on. It was just a matter of time before the bubble burst.”

  
You sat on one of the chairs near small coffee tables and took out your tablet to pretend you’re busy. Unfortunately, your friends didn’t pick up on that.

  
“So tell me Y/N, what are you going to teach now that the balance has shifted? We will all have to make changes to our curriculums, I presume.”

  
“Well, I’m still going to teach the exact same thing, Mark. You know what I always told them.”

  
“Yeah, yeah. We’re all intelligent and equal beings and should be treated as such. I always wondered how you never got into any trouble for it.”

  
“Probably because I’m a good teacher, Mark. And I’m not afraid of morally complicated questions.”

  
Mark smiled at you.

  
“Oh, that you are, Y/N. That you are.”

  
You bid your friends farewell and left the kitchen. It would probably be better to spend time in an empty classroom. You were surprised to see that a few students were already there, obviously waiting for the lecture to start. You checked the clock. There was still half an hour to go before you were supposed to start. Well, at least you had time to review today’s materials.

  
The classroom was almost full by the time you decided to start. You noticed a few new faces and smiled to yourself. You took it as a good sign. Maybe more people wanted to understand. Especially now.

  
“Good afternoon, class,” you started, turning on the microphone pin on your jacket. “I hope that you’re all doing fine. I’m glad to see none of the events stopped you from attending my classes.”

  
A quiet laugh spread among the students. You were glad to see that they weren’t too shaken up by the rebellion. Well, they were your students after all. Most of them shared your beliefs.

  
“So,” you continued, turning around to face one of the screens located behind you. “Today we will continue to delve into the algorithms responsible for computing emotions. Considering that we have to work on a very specific network, we should start with something simple for now. During the workshops tomorrow we will be trying to actually write the code, but today I just want you to help me complete a neural draft. We’ve been practicing this already, so it should not be that much of a challenge for you. Let’s say that it’s my gesture of good will to get you back on track.”

  
This time there was no laugh, only a quiet murmur of sighs. Well, you did have a reputation to maintain. At least they will be forced to concentrate.  
Creating a neural draft was a complicated task, but you were sure that your students will manage. When time for questions came, you saw a few hands in the air. You decided to start with the closest one.

 

“Yes?”

  
“Can you please tell us why we base the actual algorithms on neural drafts? Wouldn’t it save time to start with the algorithm itself and just test it?”

  
“An interesting question,” you answered, sitting on your desk. “It would be faster to start with the algorithm, yes. It would probably save us days of work. But without a neural draft there would be many limitations. You see, think of the draft points as of the ‘what ifs’. The content of the draft is the essence of behavior. Of course the AI can learn from experience and observation, but the neural draft serves as a basic minimum. Therefore, the better you make it, the better the intelligence can learn and observe afterwards. In my opinion, it’s never enough to have a shell with a few behaviors that cannot be improved upon. The richer the database, the easier the learning process for an AI.”

  
The student nodded and went back to working on the draft. As the entire class tried to complete a huge network while simultaneously working on a huge file, you took this time to analyze your previous works. You were still incredibly proud of your neural draft created for the AX400 model. Especially since it was still being used in the exact state you left it.

  
The classes ended quickly and as your students started to leave, there were always a few who lingered after class. You almost finished packing your stuff as one of them approached you.

  
“Very interesting lecture, professor Y/S,” you heard a soft tone coming from behind you, “I really enjoyed your input.”

  
You recognized that voice. Very polite and calm. You turned around to see a smiling android dressed in regular clothes.

  
“Connor! What are you doing here?”

  
“I wanted to listen to one of your lectures,” he said, almost as if it was something obvious. “I did some research and it unsurprisingly turned out that you’re currently in the top three when it comes to neural network research.”

  
“Uhh… really?

  
“Yes. Do you have a moment to grab some coffee or tea with me? I would like to talk to you, if you don’t mind. I wanted to ask you a few things ever since our last meeting.”

  
“Well, I have one and half an hour before my next lecture and I was just about to grab lunch, but…”

  
“Perfect,” Connor smiled, clearly not interested in the ‘but’. “Lead the way then, please. I’m very happy that you agreed. I really want to understand.”

  
You were a little startled and surprised, but then again, it couldn’t really hurt to sit down and talk to him, could it? You were just a little worried to see him out in the open, especially since he was one of the androids visible in the news and all records from the rebellion. There were still groups of people who wanted to ‘regain control’ by force. Attacks on androids have not become less frequent, unfortunately, so for those involved it could’ve actually been really dangerous to just walk around in the open.

  
Connor didn’t seem to care about it though - he didn’t really bother to hide his face. The LED and his standard CyberLife uniform were gone and apparently it gave him enough confidence to not worry about walking the streets of Detroit.

  
You sat down in a cafe near the university. Snow was still falling, but it was not too cold - the weather was actually very pleasant for a wintery afternoon. The park near the cafe was bathed in a soft orange glow and you could almost feel the first wind of spring on your skin. You couldn’t wait for it to finally get warmer; Detroit in winter was just as depressing as it gets.

  
You and Connor picked a small table by the window and he watched as you ordered your food.

  
“I wish I could eat,” he sighed. “I couldn’t help but notice how much humans enjoy it.”

  
“Installing any type of food processing system in an android would be much to… messy,” you said, “But there are ways for androids to potentially enjoy taste. We never went into details though.”

  
“Shame”, he answered, disappointment clearly visible on his face.

  
He watched intently as your soup and sandwich arrived at the table and as you started to eat. When he realized that watching you might not have been the most polite thing to do, he turned his gaze away to look at the park.

  
“So,” you said between bites of your sandwich, “are you here to question me or to talk to me?”

  
Your question brought his attention back to you.

  
“No, I’m just here to talk,” his voice was soft and careful again. “I… couldn’t stop thinking about what you said when we visited you. About artificial emotions and deviancy. Lieutenant Anderson… Hank… suggested I come to your lecture and talk to you. I’m really glad I did. I think you have a very unique and interesting view on androids.”

  
“Thank you, I guess,” you said, turning your attention to the soup. “But I don’t really understand what you’re getting at.”

  
“I just… I see now that the way you work with neural networks is very similar to patterns in a human brain. I understand that you’re trying to replicate the exact processes known in humans. Why is that so?”

  
You sighed and put away your spoon.

  
“I believe that if you create artificial intelligence that is capable of learning and understanding the world around it, you have to give it every opportunity to process the surroundings and gain experience. We understand human brains best and we don’t know any superior processes. Therefore, when working with neural networks you have to keep in mind that you can’t influence it. You can give it an opportunity and push it in the right direction, but you have to let it learn on its own. This is what free will is. This is what we wanted to achieve.”

  
“Free will in androids?”

  
“Yes. Androids were supposed to be our partners, our equals. At least initially. But humanity has this… ugly determination to rule everything around it, you know.”

  
“I think I do. So you don’t think that these emotions, these… feelings, are just programming?”

  
“They were never meant to be just that. Your programming is just the push. The decision is yours and yours alone. Based on experience, you can choose different ways to go forward. This is how it works in humans too. There’s nothing inherently special about it.”

  
“You said it’s just chemistry.”

  
“Because it is. There’s nothing more to it. It’s chemistry and impulses. It’s not in any way superior to what you, as an android, are… feeling.”

  
“Interesting,” Connor said, deep in thought. “And this is why you claim that there is no such thing as deviancy?”

  
“How can there be? Everybody has the right to defend themselves.”

  
Connor seemed to be processing what he just heard. Suddenly, after a few seconds, he changed the subject completely. You were yet to learn that this meant he was satisfied with the answers for now.

  
“I’m curious about your workshop. Do you work on repairs? It’s not officially listed as an android repair facility and…”

  
“Let me stop you right there,” you interrupted, pointing your spoon at Connor, “Stop digging around. It's creepy. Also, it’s not a repair facility. I use it for research.”

  
“Sorry. I… still have to learn things.”

  
“It’s OK. Just please keep it in mind. I built the workshop to work on some upgrades and new patents. It takes my mind off… things,” you sighed. “Although I did perform a few repairs, mostly for friends and mostly when the damage was really bad. Can’t say I liked it though. It was exhausting.”

  
Connor smiled reassuringly. You couldn’t get over how human his facial expressions were. CyberLife has really gone a long way from their first prototype.

  
“I understand,” he said, voice getting even softer. “I was just intrigued. But I think it’s good that you’re still in the field. I looked through your projects and it’s such a shame that you don’t work with CyberLife, with your input they could...”

  
“What did I tell you about digging?!”

  
“Sorry!”

  
“Okay, nevermind. Just… I don’t want to work for them. Ever.”

  
“Why?”

  
“I have my reasons.”

  
This time Connor did notice that you didn’t want to get into details. So, once again, he decided to change the subject.

  
“I’m helping the team from Jericho get an android emergency center set up. I was actually thinking about asking you for help. We need a lot of resources and know-how. Would it be okay if we contacted you from time to time?”

  
“Team from Jericho? You mean the ones whose faces were shown by every single news channel in the world?”

  
“Yes. They are the faces of the revolution and they want to do as much as possible for our people. But it would be so much easier if we had someone like you helping us. Mind you, we can’t really just go to CyberLife and ask them to do it.”

  
“Connor, I don’t think...”

  
“I promise I’ll make sure not to take too much of your time. We need all the support we can get.”

  
You clenched your fist. This was a chance to help. A chance to make it up in a way.

  
You had to say yes.

  
“Alright,” you said, eyes setting on his face. He smiled. “I will help you. As much as I can, of course.”

  
“Thank you,” Connor’s smile was so sincere. So genuine. “This means a lot to us. I will tell the others. I’m sure they will be relieved to hear that. They told me there’s no way you would agree to help. I’m glad I’ll be able to prove them wrong.”

  
“What?!”

  
“Uhh… I don’t think I was supposed to tell you that.”

  
You laughed. You actually laughed.

  
Even though you had a feeling that your peaceful life was just about to turn upside down.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Connor brings a dying Simon to your doorstep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! This chapter does contain a pretty graphic description of a damaged android body. Also, there's a nosebleed.

You weren’t surprised that you missed your alarm clock. You were up working the night before and since it was your day off, you decided to just sleep in. Waking up after noon had its advantages though; you could skip breakfast and go straight for lunch. When you finally managed to get out of bed, you took a quick shower and went to the kitchen. Unfortunately, your empty fridge was just as sad of a sight as ever. Mustard, a jar of Nutella and a box of rice. And oats. Why did you even put rice and oats in the fridge?!

You decided not to wait too long and placed a quick order for some Indian food. In the meantime, you made some tea and decided to relax in front of the TV before your food arrived. Switching between channels you managed to find some news. You were glad to see that negotiations between androids and the government were going smoothly. Markus was a great leader and his calm demeanor made people respect him. He spoke softly but surely, not a sound of hesitation in his words. You were not surprised the androids followed him. He will never back down from his path to android freedom.

A doorbell interrupted Markus’ speech and you went to the door to collect your food. You realized how hungry you were when you put everything on the table and the smell hit your nose. Turning the news off and going for a streaming movie service instead, you decided to watch one of the movies in your queue. Nothing could stop you from having a lazy afternoon. Especially since you knew you had to get back to work early next day.

When the movie ended you cleaned the dishes, made some more tea, got under a blanket on a sofa and decided to continue the book you started not so long ago. You really wanted to see what happens next. Peter Watts was quickly growing on you; the final part of the Rifters trilogy was the last book of his left for you to read.

Only a few minutes into the book your phone rang. You inhaled deeply and looked at the screen.

“Connor,”  you tried to sound nice, but you could hear the irritation in your voice yourself. “What the…”

“We have an emergency,” he said quickly, interrupting you again. You were slowly beginning to get used to him always interrupting you. “One of our own has been badly hurt. We’re bringing him to you. We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

What.

The.

 _Hell_.

“What?!”

“Seriously injured. A group of people attacked us on the way back from an interview. We need you to help him. I ran all the scenarios and this is his best hope.”

Your head started spinning. This is _not_ what you had in mind when Connor said that they will be counting on your help.

What if you _can’t_ help them? No, no, no. Don't think like that, you scolded yourself. Get ready. Somebody needs you.

You sprung from the sofa and went into your office. There were a few things you needed to pack before heading to the workshop.

“Connor, what type? I need to fetch the diagnostic tools.”

“PL600.”

You didn’t know this model too well as a whole. Luckily, you had all the documents you needed. You should be fine.

 _You should be fine_.

_You’ve done it hundreds of times, damn it!_

When you heard your doorbell ring, you were there in a second. You opened the door and suddenly found yourself face to face with Connor. Behind him, a group of people carrying… someone? Something? You had no idea, it was impossible to tell. You assumed it was the android in question.

“Get him to the workshop,” you said, suddenly feeling a rush of adrenaline running down your spine and making you hyper-aware of your surroundings; “I’ll be with you in a second. I need my gloves and my bag. I’ll open the door for you from here. Place him on the table and remove all articles of clothing.”

Connor nodded and the group made for the workshop immediately. You opened the door, grabbed your stuff and followed them.

_Relax._

_Deep breaths._

_You’ve done this so many times._

_You know the procedures like the back of your hand_.

When you entered the workshop and turned on the rest of the lights, you felt your heart sink and tears well up in your eyes.

You’ve never seen an android in such a bad shape.

“What happened?!” you asked, immediately by his side, trying to assess the damage. He looked at you with pale blue eyes, lips parted, painted with thirium. You had to blink to chase away the tears.

He was _dying_.

“Humans attacked us,” only after hearing his voice did you realize Markus was in the workshop with the group. “When we left the TV station after the interview. They… they used guns, baseball bats and some kind of acid. He jumped in to protect me. Please, you have to save him. _Please_.”

Both his voice and his gaze were desperate. You had to look away under the intensity. You took a deep breath, closed your eyes for a moment and then turned back to the damaged android.

“What’s your name?” you asked, placing your hand on the right side of his face and caressing it softly.

“Si… Simon,” he said, voice barely above a whisper and thick with static.

“Okay, Simon,” you looked directly into his eyes, hoping that he’ll be able to find some comfort in that. “My name is Y/N. I’ll do everything I can to help you, okay? First, I’ll have to stabilize you. After that I’ll start the repairs. Just trust me, OK?”

He didn’t answer. He just closed his eyes. You felt your heart break at the sight. _Why did they do this to him_?

Another few moments of assessment helped you decide what to do. You were definitely going to need help if you were to make it in time.

“Alright,” you spoke, looking at the androids in the room. “Markus, please link him to the diagnostics computer in the back. You, umm…”

“North.”

“North,” you repeated the female android’s name, “Please bring me five packets of thirium from the fridge at the back of the room. And you?”

“Josh.”

“Josh. Keep pressure on his leg. I need to close that wound.”

Luckily, the androids helped you without question. Good. If you were going to save him, you had to be fast. There was no time to waste. According to diagnostics, you had maybe 30 minutes to stabilize the flow of thirium.

“His muscles and tendons were ripped apart,” you stated matter-of-factly, but actually mortified on the inside, trying to keep yourself from shaking. “The acid burned through his veins and the bat hits damaged most of the internal biocomponents. The plates will have to be replaced and the skin is almost completely dissolved. I will have to replenish that. This is still not the full diagnostics though. I’ll have to get into details later.”

You could see the scared, no, _frightened_ expressions on all the androids’ faces. Especially on Markus’. It hurt you just to look at them, so you turned back to Simon and tried to focus on what you had to do.

And you could already see that it was going to be an extremely complicated task.

Minutes felt like hours. Replacing thirium veins was an incredibly complicated task, especially since his thirium levels were already so low and you couldn’t have replenished it before the switch was done. You cut your fingers on the sharp edges of burnt plates more than once. Your gloves didn’t do much to help with that, but luckily they were invaluable when it came to diagnostics. It was thanks to them that you were able to at least mark the most damaged biocomponents and work with the wiring more efficiently.

Connecting the damaged wires was hard, especially since some of them have been ripped to shreds. You had to replace quite a few of them, especially in the spinal area. Luckily after these and the veins have been replaced, you were able to restore the thirium flow and finally sit down for a few minutes.

It was only then that you noticed just twenty minutes have passed. Funny. It already felt like a few hours.

“Okay,” you breathed out, more to yourself than the androids around you, “He’s stable now. The thirium distribution level is back to 70%. His life is no longer in danger, but there is still a lot to be done and…”

“We should take him back then,” you heard North interrupt you. She stepped closer to the table and looked at you in a way that made you feel very small. “Markus, we can’t possibly leave him here and trust a human to take care of him. We will help him at the base.”

You sat down on a nearby bench and reached for a bottle of water. Only then did you notice that your fingers were covered in thirium and your own blood from the cuts. Luckily, the adrenaline rush was still there, so it didn’t really bother you.

“With all due respect,” you said, turning your gaze to North, “you won’t be able to help him at the base. If you ever want his motor functions restored, you need a trained engineer. No android was ever prepared to do that kind of job.”

“She’s telling the truth,” Connor spoke suddenly, but there was a certainty in his voice that reassured you a little. “That’s why I suggested to bring him here in the first place.”

You could see that North was not pleased. She suggested that they talk with Josh and Markus in private and soon they left the workshop to take it outside. You took a few more sips of water and stood up, returning to the android at the table.

“Hey Simon,” you said, trying to keep your facial expression as reassuring as possible. “You doing okay?”

“Not… that bad,” you noticed a soft, tired smile light up his face. There was still a slight tint of thirium on his lips and cheeks, but he was definitely more alert. “At least it doesn’t… hurt.”

“Yeah. There’s still a lot to do and I don’t have all the necessary parts, but I should be able to at least patch you up enough that you’ll be able to walk on your own. We can discuss the rest after that. How does that sound?”

“Amazing,” he said, still smiling a little and focusing his gaze on you. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. The hardest part is over, but we’re far from the end with those repairs.”

You didn’t know what to do, really. You just hoped that the rest of the team will realize how dangerous it would be to move Simon now and not have a specialist work on him. Then again, you couldn’t blame them for not trusting you. You were human, after all. _And at least part of it is your fault_ , you reminded yourself.

“I’m very sorry,” Connor approached you and bowed his head in apology, “But I have to get back to the scene. Hank will be there shortly and we’ll be continuing the investigation. I’ll make sure we catch the ones responsible for his current state.”

“Oh, I really hope you do,” you answered, clenching your teeth.

“There might not be official laws in place yet, but I can promise you that they will not get away with this.”

You nodded and sighed heavily again as Connor left the workshop. You felt the adrenaline, the anger, sadness and disbelief all at once. Did those people really think that attacking the leaders of the revolution was the right way to go? How could they do something so horrible to _anyone_?

Well, humans _were_ horrible. Thirsty for power and control. Scared of what they couldn’t understand. Even being one of them, you learned it the hard way at the university.

You looked back at Simon laying at the table. It won’t be easy to reconnect his arms and legs and synchronize them with his spine. Also, you could reinforce the lacerations for now to make him able to walk again, but he still needed new legs. And a new left arm. And probably about fifty new biocomponents.

What you could have done immediately was replacing his audio processor to get rid of the static. You had a compatible one available. So you went to the adjacent room, opened one of the lockers, took the biocomponent out and returned to the android.

As soon as you were done replacing the unit, North returned to the workshop with Markus and Josh. You winced a little at her expression, seeing her probably even angrier than before. She ignored you completely as she stood beside Simon at the other side of the table. Markus stopped right next to her, looking a little irritated, but much calmer than North.

“Before you start arguing _again_ ,” you were surprised to hear Simon’s quiet voice just when Markus opened his mouth to speak, “I’m afraid I won’t be of much use to our cause if I’m unable to move. I think…”

“It’s okay,” Markus interrupted, placing his hands on the table, “We decided to trust this human. Connor vouched for her after all. Additionally, she is a very skilled engineer, so I believe that you are in good hands. Still,” he suddenly moved his gaze to you, “I would like to know what plan you have. I mean, what you can do for him and how long will it take.”

You looked at the computer screen behind Simon. The diagnostics was not complete yet. It will probably take another two hours.

“Well,” you started, stretching your arms above your head, “for starters, I will reinforce his legs so he can walk. I will print the patches on my 3D printer to support his weight. Still, the reinforcements will be brittle. They should hold for a while before spare parts arrive, but he won’t be able to do anything too excessive. I’ll do the same with the left arm, but it will need to be replaced too, eventually. We have to wait for the diagnostics to be done, but depending on how many spare parts I’m going to need it will take at least two weeks to have him back to normal. So yeah. There you have it.”

Markus frowned. You saw worry on his face, worry and stress. You knew it was long. But you were just one person. And you still had to work.

“What do you suggest?”, he asked after a moment. His voice was surprisingly calm, considering the changing expressions of his face.

You sighed. You wanted to help. But you didn’t have any other idea.

“I suggest he stays here until the repairs are done.”

“That is absolutely _out of the question_!” North blurted out, putting a hand on Markus’ shoulder and turning him to face her. “We can’t leave him _here_! It’s enough to let her repair him, but we can’t just leave him here and nobody can stay here to make sure that…”

“North, can you please stop?” Simon’s voice was weak, but you could still hear the restlessness bubbling just below the surface, “You know there is no other way. This human, and by the way her name is Y/N, is offering to _help me_ . Asking for nothing in return. Why can’t you accept that? Why can’t you _let me_ accept that?”

She looked at him, surprised.

“Simon, I… I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”

“ I know,” he replied, “But I’ll be fine. Really.”

Markus stepped in front of North and took her hand in his.

“North, he needs help. Y/N is our best and most qualified option to help him now. So I have a deal to suggest,” he turned his face to you, smiling reassuringly, “When the diagnostics is done, you give me the list of all spare parts you need and I’ll get them for you. And you get him back in shape.”

“Okay,” you answered, “That sounds fair. So I’m guessing I should get back to work then?”

“Yes, please,” came Simon’s voice, impatient, but also a little amused.

Markus and North sat down at the far end of the workshop while Josh left to get back to their current camp. As they started talking about something quietly, you were left to focus on the task ahead. You decided to work with the left arm first. You started the 3D printers and quickly resized the patches to match Simon. Reaching for the tools, you stood by the android’s side and started cleaning the damaged wiring in his left arm. The acid got most of the wires and connecting them will have to wait until after you replace the damaged ones.

Unfortunately, you were a little restless and pulled one of the damaged tendons too hard. Before you realized what was going on, Simon’s hand spasmed and hit you in the nose. _Hard_. You cried out in surprise as the pain made you go blind for a few seconds. It hurt so much it made you feel sick.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry!” you heard Simon’s soft voice laced with worry. “I… I couldn’t stop it. I’m so sorry, I didn’t…”

“It’s okay,” you whispered, voice muffled by gritted teeth. “My mistake. Just… give me a second.”

Markus was immediately by your side, looking at you with worry in his eyes.

“You’re _bleeding_ ,” he said. “You have to sit down.”

You wanted to protest, but his hands rested on your shoulders and led you to the closest bench. Not like you could fight him. And still, the pain was just too much. You sat down obediently, blinking your eyes as your vision slowly returned. _Oh God_. Why did this have to happen to _you_?

“Alright. Sit down and lower your head. Put pressure on your nose,” he instructed, guiding your fingers to the right spot. “Do you have ice?”

“No,” you wanted to speak, but you _whined._ “But there are thirium packets in the fridge. Should be enough.”

Markus stood up immediately and turned towards the fridge. He brought two packets of thirium and placed one on your forehead and the other one on the back of your neck. After that, he ordered you to sit still for a few minutes and sat down by your side to make sure that you’re fine.

The cold packets helped and your head started to feel better. After a while, you released the pressure on your nose and were glad to see that the bleeding has stopped.

“It’s not broken,” Markus assessed, looking at you attentively, “But it’s going to be bruised for a while.”

“Just perfect,” you huffed, standing up and blinking a few times to chase the last lingering dark spots away. “Exactly what I needed right now.”

The pain dissipated slowly, leaving only a dull ache behind. You came back to the table to resume your work. You looked at Simon and tried to force a smile, but it probably came out crooked and not that sincere.

It was then that you noticed the _way_ he was looking at _you_.

There was so much worry and guilt in his eyes that your heart skipped a beat. Nobody’s ever looked at you this way before. His brow slightly furrowed, lips pursed and trembling. _God_ , you thought. You knew androids could express emotions well, but _this_? This was too much. Your head almost started hurting again. And it’s not like he actually had anything to feel guilty about.

“I’m so sorry,” he finally spoke, eyes focused on yours and not really giving you a chance to look away. “I mean it. I would never… I just…”

“Simon, it’s okay,” you tried to calm him down, because there was no way for you to get back to work while he was looking at you like that, “Really. It was an accident. The first and the last one. Just… I’m gonna get back to work. Everything’s fine. See, the bleeding stopped and I’m all better.”

He didn’t look convinced, but you tore your eyes away from his to focus on the infamous left arm. Still, the action itself made you feel guilty too. Luckily, focusing on wiring and plating helped you refocus and get back to your usual calm demeanor. You were a professional, damn it. You won’t let yourself be _distracted_ by anyone just _looking_ at you. You had a job to do and you were going to be perfect at it, as always.

Even if it meant standing by that damn table for the next ten hours or so.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Simon tries to make your trouble up to you somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this chapter except Simon being incredibly cute.

When you thought ‘ _even if it meant standing by that damn table for the next ten hours_ ’, you meant it to be a sign of your determination, not a challenge for your twisted fate. And yet here you were. Fourteen hours and counting. Luckily, you were almost done. Simon was already able to sit and move all of his limbs. A few more adjustments and he should be good to walk. After that, you could finally go to sleep. You’ve never missed your bed that much.

Markus and North left a few hours earlier, just as soon as you listed the parts for them. You were left with Simon and your tools. You didn’t really talk much; you asked Simon to enter sleep mode so it would be easier for you to finish the repairs. He was sitting up now, only one laceration left for you to cover and then he could finally stand up and run a full system check. Luckily, you didn’t have any classes that day. You were supposed to work on some of your research, but oh well. Life had other plans for you, apparently.

When you finally stood up and put away your tools, you could feel your muscles tremble with overexertion. You were going to feel that for _days_ . When you stretched, you could feel the burn and pull of muscle strands you had no idea humans have. Even removing the gloves was currently almost too much to handle. You wanted to cry, scream and sleep at the same time. Oh, and you were _incredibly hungry_. Additionally, your clothes and skin were covered in thirium and your own blood from both the nosebleed and the finger cuts. Well, weren’t you a sight to behold.

Simon was still plugged into the diagnostics computer, so you used it to wake him up. He opened his eyes and looked around with disbelief.

“Hello Y/N,” he said, finally focusing his gaze at you. “I take it that we’re done?”

“Yes,” you answered, wiping your face with a damp cloth, “At least for now. It’s 9 AM and I think it’s finally time for me to go to sleep. Can you try and stand up?”

Simon nodded and stretched his arms first. Huge patches of his plating were left with no synthetic skin coverage and showed visible damage, but it should hold for the few following days. He moved his fingers, smiling. It was a nice, genuine smile. It made you feel a little better. Just a little less exhausted.

Simon moved his legs and stood up really slowly. The look on his face when he was able to stand on his own was priceless.

“Can you run a system check please?” you asked, eyeing him carefully. He was taller than you anticipated.

“Yes,” he answered, closing his eyes for a moment. After a minute and a half he opened them back slowly. “All systems functional. Not 100% of course, something around 40%, but stable. Thank you. Thank you so much for helping me.”

You felt a burn at the back of your neck. And on your cheeks. It’s been a really long time since you heard a sincere thank you from anyone.

“It’s fine,” you said, mumbling a little, “Your clothes are behind the screen. Put them back on and we can go to the house. I _really_ need to take a bath. You can rest in the guest room until Markus returns with the parts.”

Simon nodded and moved behind the screen slowly after unplugging himself from the computer. You could barely see from the exhaustion. It was almost impossible to focus your thoughts; now that the adrenaline rush was over it was suddenly very hard to even stand upright.

When Simon returned fully dressed, you were finally able to leave the workshop. You turned off the lights, made sure that all systems were in shutdown mode and headed towards the house. The sun was shining, reflecting off the snow in blinding sparks. You would probably appreciate the sight if you were less tired. You really needed that bath. And the bed.

When you entered the house, you headed straight for the bathroom. Simon kept looking around curiously, taking in the details. You yawned and stopped in the hallway.

“I’m sorry, Simon,” you said, trying to sound as polite as possible, “I’m gonna go bathe. Please make yourself at home. The guest room is right over there,” you pointed to the opposite side of the living room. “It hasn’t really been used much before, but it should be enough for you to be comfortable. If you need anything, just… yeah, just wait for me and I’ll help you. Okay?”

“You don’t need to concern yourself with me,” he said, still looking around. “I’ll be fine. You go take that bath.”

“Alright. See you soon.”

And with that, you closed the door to the bathroom behind you.

 

***

 

Simon sat on the sofa and didn’t really know what to do with himself. Sure, he could move and all, but it’s not like he had anything to do at your house. He felt a little strange; there were still some emergency notifications in his systems, but at least he was mostly comfortable. Which was a little strange, considering both his current state and the fact that he was in a _human’s_ house.

He took his time to look around, standing up and heading for the kitchen. It was an open one, nicely integrated with the living room. He noticed two photographs on the fridge, one of you with a university award and one of an older couple he figured to be your parents. Other than that, there weren’t many personal items laying around to tell him much about you. Just a few books here and there, some blueprints laying around (there was even one on the kitchen counter, printed on gray paper and stained with coffee), boxes with semi-fresh Indian food leftovers and an open bottle of wine. Simon winced a little at the sight, his programming still allowing him to notice things like that. He was a domestic assistant before after all. It was actually kind of amusing, really. Somebody patches you up and the first thing you notice in their house are their unhealthy eating habits.

He was feeling a little guilty though. Well, maybe not even a little. He still felt bad about hitting you on the nose. Sure, it wasn’t his _fault_ per se, but he still felt somehow responsible. Not to mention that you just spent almost _fifteen hours_ repairing him. And this is how he repays you. With a blow to the face. Very nice, Simon. Very nice.

He sat down by the dining table, trying to come up with something that he could do _for you_. Just to show his gratitude and maybe make you feel a little better. He did have a few tricks up his sleeve after all. He might not want to remember most of his past and the family he’s been with, but his basic programmed abilities could still come in handy.

Well, it was time to put some of them to good use.

 

***

 

The bath worked wonders for your tired body and aching muscles. When you stepped out of the water and dried yourself off with a soft towel you felt much, much better. You put on yoga pants and a loose t-shirt, brushed your teeth, eyed the swollen nose with a frown and decided to go to sleep. You needed about five hours to be back to your normal, rationally thinking self. Right now you felt your brain lagging so badly you were not sure what your own name was. And that dull headache… maybe you should not have taken that bath. Oh well. After sleep, you were going to talk to Simon. Hopefully he won’t mind being left alone for those boring hours.

“Hey, Simon,” you said, opening the door and leaving the bathroom, fresh air hitting your face and feeling almost like a soothing balm on your skin. “I’m done and I’m going to slee… _WHAT’S THAT SMELL_?!”

It might have been your brain playing tricks on you. That’s what you thought at first, but no. This smell was real. It was sweet, it was fresh, and it made your stomach rumble. It was a smell of something delicious, something _baked_.

You arrived at the kitchen, a shocked expression on your face at the sight. Simon was taking a tray of freshly baked cookies out of your oven. Was this a dream or… wait… what?!

“Oh, Y/N”, he said, noticing your arrival. “I made you something to eat. Unfortunately, there’s not much in your kitchen to go with, but I did what I could. You have to eat something before you go to sleep. Your body needs nourishment after such hard work.”

You didn’t know what to say. The sight was so surreal it actually rendered you speechless.

“Are you OK?” Simon placed the cookies on a plate and looked at you with worry. “Is it your nose? Or head? Does it still hurt?”

No, you thought. It actually didn’t. You were just… not used to that type of kindness. Especially not in your own house and not under such circumstances.

You shook your head and tried to focus what felt like your last remaining brain cells to say something that made sense.

“Simon,” you breathed quickly, looking him in the eyes. “Thank you, but you didn’t have to do this. I… you’re a guest in this house. I don’t expect you to make food for me. You’re here for the repairs and you don’t owe me anything. I don’t want you to feel like you’re obligated to…”

“Shhh,” he shushed you and placed the cookie plate on the counter in front of you. You scowled. Were _all_ androids going to interrupt you mid-sentence now?! “I know I didn’t _have to_ . But i _wanted to_. And it’s not like I don’t owe you anything. You saved my life, Y/N. And you spent fifteen hours standing beside me to repair my broken body. And you don’t even really know me. So yeah. The cookies are not much, but I hope you’ll like them. I used oats, honey, almonds and some raisins. You really need to do some grocery shopping though. And now, eat and go rest. You deserve a break after what you’ve done tonight.”

You sighed. He did have a point. You did need to eat something.

You reached for a cookie and took a bite. It was actually so delicious it almost brought tears to your eyes. Or maybe you were just _really_ hungry. Nevertheless, it did feel nice to finally fill your stomach with something other than water.

“Thank you, Simon, they’re delicious,” you said, taking a second one and devouring it even faster than the first. “Really, thank you. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to help me in any way while staying here. Please keep that in mind, okay?”

“I already told you,” he answered, voice soft and reassuring. “I did this for you because I wanted to. I just felt like it. So don’t worry about my motives, please.”

He smiled and you involuntarily smiled back. He was... nice. _This_ was nice.

“Oh, by the way,” you said, finishing the last cookie, “There’s a washing machine and a dryer in the laundry room downstairs. You can wash and dry your clothes while I sleep. They’re a little damaged from what I can see, but I don’t have anything else to give you for now. Maybe I can buy you something when I go to work on Wednesday.”

“I will, thanks,” he said, only now paying attention to the state of his clothes, “And don’t worry. I’ll manage.”

“Great. See you in a few hours, then.”

“Yeah. Rest well.”

And with that, you finally retreated to the welcoming softness of your own bed.

 

***

 

Once again left alone in the house, Simon decided it might actually be a good idea to use the laundry room. His clothes were torn in a few places, stained with thirium and dirt from when he was thrown against the ground. He shuddered at the memory. He might not be able to feel pain like the humans did, but his brain and body reacted to trauma in a very similar way. Trying to focus on what he had to do instead of what happened in the past, he undressed and threw his clothes in the washing machine. Eyeing the room around him, he noticed that you also had some laundry that needed to be done. His first instinct was to add it to his own, but he shook his head with a soft laugh. You would not have liked that. Maybe he’ll just remind you to do it when you get up. After all, you called him your guest and he didn’t want to upset you any more.

He sat down on a nearby chair waiting for the washing cycle to end and decided to call Markus and give him an update.

„Hey, Markus,” he said, just as the connection went through. „Just wanted to check in and tell you I’m fine. I can walk and all that. So I guess I’m gonna be fine.”

„I hope so,” Markus replied on the other end. „And when you get back here, we have to talk about this recklessness of yours. You should not have jumped in when they attacked.”

„If I didn’t, they would have killed _you_.”

„It still doesn’t mean that you have to risk your life for me.”

„It does, actually,” Simon shifted on the chair a little. „Now that we got so far, we need a leader like you. We have to protect you at all costs, and you know that. You just don’t want to admit it.”

There was a long pause on Markus’ side. It wasn’t the first time they talked about this. Actually, it was the sixty eighth time.

„We’re gonna talk about it when you get back,” Markus said finally, voice a little quieter than before. „For now, just relax and get better.”

„I will.”

Another pause.

„I’m glad you’re OK, Simon. I was scared we might have lost you.”

Simon smiled a tiny, sad smile to himself.

„So was I.”

Ending the call, Simon sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Markus was right in a way. He didn’t want to die. Especially now that the androids were finally free. He wanted to know what it’s like. He wanted to try being _alive_.

When the washing machine and the dryer were done, he put his clothes back on and inhaled deeply. He really liked the smell of fresh laundry. Might have been an old habit, but it did carry a feeling of safety and warmth. He inhaled once again and left the laundry room. As he didn’t really have anything to do, he decided to visit the guest room you mentioned and maybe watch some news. Or read something. He’ll decide later.

The guest room was not big, but it was very bright, two huge windows allowing the sun to enter in these early morning hours and paint a soft glow on the walls. From the looks of it, the room hasn’t really been used much. The bed was neatly made, an empty wardrobe casting shadows on the other side of the room, a small desk with a chair located by one of the windows. Still, what defined the overall feel of the room was a huge bookstand filled with paperback editions of many different novels. Curious, Simon approached it slowly and looked at the names and titles. Almost all of them were science fiction books, names like Isaac Asimov or Philip K. Dick described in his database as visionary and renowned authors of the past. He noticed you did have a very particular taste. Reaching up, he took one of the books that looked the oldest, its shape pretty bad, cover repaired with tape in a few spots. „The Positronic Man” by Isaac Asimov. Raising his eyebrows, he took it with him and decided to read it later. There were many bookmarks marking different pages, sparking his interest even more.

Coming back to the living room, he placed the book on the sofa and went back to the kitchen. After he used up the oats and a few other edible ingredients, there was literally nothing left for you to eat. And you _had_ to eat. Possibly something healthier than delivery food. Still, he knew you didn’t care much for nutrition. He had two choices here. One was to do exactly what you told him to do, which was minding his own business and just relaxing, but that left you with no food after an exhausting night of helping him, which he still felt guilty about. The other was to disregard what you said and prepare something to eat. To do this, he would have to do some shopping. As it was not a good idea to go outside, he would have to do it online. But to have it delivered to your place, he needed to access your home system without your permission. He groaned, rubbing his forehead with his right hand. Markus would be making _so much fun_ of him right now.

After what seemed like almost half an hour of weighing all the pros and cons in his head, he finally made up his mind.

Sure, he was your guest.

But you saved his life.

 _And_ he hit you in the face.

Rolling his eyes at the memory, he approached one of the panels and interfaced with your home system.

Ultimately, it was your health that mattered most. Even if his behavior made you a little upset, he will have to somehow live with that for the next two weeks or so.

 

***

 

When you woke up, you needed a few moments to remember why you were still in bed at this hour. It was slowly getting darker outside, winter sunset reflecting off your windowsill in a sharp orange flare. Usually you were either at work or in your workshop at this hour. But not today. No. Because you spent yesterday’s afternoon and night repairing a damaged android. Yeah. That really happened. The dull ache somewhere behind your nose was a very precise reminder of those events.

You sat up, stretched your arms with a yawn and decided to get up. Maybe you’ll still be able to do some work. It was not _that_ late after all.

Approaching your wardrobe, you put on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, making a mental note of doing laundry later that day to restock your drawer of socks. Leaving your bedroom, you wondered what Simon was doing. Hopefully he was not putting too much strain on his brittle limb fix-ups.

„Simon!” You called out, entering the living room. „Good after…”

_Oh no no no no._

_He did not_.

Simon was in the kitchen, a few grocery bags still on the counter. Apparently he was not only cooking, but also roasting something in the oven, at least based on the smell. There was fruit salad in one of your bowls, some more cookies on a plate and a jug full of something that looked like a green smoothie on the counter. You looked at Simon with disbelief, not really able to say anything. Why did he make so much food?

„I can explain,” he said, noticing the look on your face. „I just… you needed something healthy, okay? You don’t really have the healthiest eating habits and…”

„Let me stop you right there,” you interrupted, crossing your arms against your chest and leaning against the counter. „You don’t approve of what I eat, so you decide to hack my home AI and do some grocery shopping in my name?”

He blinked. The confused look on his face was actually pretty funny.

„Yeah, I just… I wanted to help you. To make taking care of me a little easier for you”

You couldn’t stop yourself. You started laughing so hard you thought you were going to suffocate. You couldn’t stop and you felt tears welling up in your eyes.

„I don’t see why this is so funny,” Simon actually sounded offended. That made it even worse.

When you were finally able to speak again, you looked him in the eyes and smiled warmly.

„I’m sorry. It just made me laugh when I realized that what you call _deviancy_ can manifest in hacking home AI systems to help people take better care of themselves because they’re so stupid and stubborn sometimes. I don’t really know why I found it hilarious.”

„If you put it that way,” he smiled back, „It does sound a little funny.”

You came closer to Simon to look at what he was cooking.

„If this is what you want to do,” you said, noticing a pot of soup bubbling on the stove, „It’s fine. I just don’t want you to feel like you’re _obligated_ to do any of it. Okay?”

Simon put away the spoon he was holding and smiled.

„Okay.”

“Great. So what can I eat?”

“Whatever you want,” the smile on his face grew even wider. “But I suggest to start with the fruit salad and the smoothie. Soup should be ready in twenty minutes.”

You took the salad bowl and took it to the dining table. There was this strange feeling, this calmness in your head that you haven’t felt in a very long time and that probably had to do with the presence of another person.

Maybe your friends were right and you should consider getting a housemate after all. You’ll make sure to look into it when your work with Simon is done.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you are asked to speak during a very important event.

“So what do you want for dinner?”

You got used to Simon’s presence in your house quickly. You actually enjoyed having him around. His calmness made you calm as well. Also, the occasional jokes he would crack were actually pretty funny.

You were sitting in the workshop, working on the delicate plating of Simon’s hands. Most of the plates had to be replaced if he ever wanted them covered with synthetic skin again. This was the thing with synthetic skin - any damage to the surface below made coverage impossible. You needed to be extra focused while replacing the plates - it was very easy to damage the wiring below during the process.

“I don’t know,” you answered Simon’s question, still focused on the hand. “Surprise me. Oh, and tell me what clothes you want. I’ll have time to go shopping after work today.”

“You do realize that I don’t really have to change, do you?”

“I do. But I would feel weird if you wore the same set of _damaged_ clothes every single day for the next two weeks. So _please_ tell me what you want or I’ll pick something myself, and that’s never a good option with my nonexistent fashion sense.”

Simon snorted.

“It’s fine,” he said, “Just get whatever you like then. Surprise me.”

For a moment it crossed your mind to buy him a shark onesie just to spite him, but you ultimately decided against it as it would be impossible to explain when somebody visits you. Not like you had many visitors, but still.

Simon was not really self-conscious when it came to his appearance, not really bothered by the fact that huge patches of synthetic skin were missing where the lacerations had to be repaired. His arms were almost entirely naked, white and grey and blue clearly showing where his sleeves didn’t reach. There was also a gash on his left cheekbone, although it looked more like a scar than missing skin. You were hoping that you’d be able to complete the work on his face and arms first, leaving the legs for last. They sustained the greatest damage and the casing had to be replaced entirely.

“You seem lost in thought,” suddenly, his voice surprised you. “Is everything okay?”

You looked up to meet a soft look in his blue eyes.

“Y… yeah,” you answered, hand shaking a little. “I was just thinking about how I’m going to repair your legs. I can’t replace them entirely, even though I thought I would. And replacing the casing will be complicated. So yeah. I have to plan this carefully.”

Simon sighed. It looked like he wanted to say something, so you tried to urge him with a nod.

“I’m… thank you. Thank you for putting so much effort into this. I really appreciate it,” he said, suddenly avoiding eye contact. “I… I didn’t really think I’ll survive this, you know. I was _sure_ I was going to die. And it felt… terrible. I can’t really explain it, but… I was so scared, Y/N. I was _so scared_.”

“But you _didn’t_ die,” you whispered, not really sure what he wanted to hear. “You’re here. And you’re mostly fine. And you’re going to be back to your usual business soon.”

“All thanks to you.”

“No. It’s all thanks to your friends bringing you here in time. If it wasn’t for their swift action, there would be nothing I could’ve done.”

“Maybe you’re right. There’s just one thing I don’t understand.”

“And that is?”

Another sharp intake of breath he didn’t really need, but was designed to take to make him appear _more human_.

“Why did you help me, Y/N?”

This question surprised you.

“What do you mean?”

“You could’ve said no. Or you could’ve just done the absolute minimum and let them take me somewhere else. Why did you let me stay?”

You put away your tools and sat back in the chair.

“I’m never going to refuse help to an android in need. That is the least I can do.”

“The least you can do about what?”

“About people being assholes and not treating your kind the way it deserves, for starters.”

Simon was visibly surprised with this answer.

“Sure, there are groups of people still hunting us, but what do _you_ have to do with that?”

“Probably more than you think,” you answered, running a hand through your hair. “I don’t know how much you know about me, but I was greatly involved in the creation of your kind. And I was not able to stand up to the rest of the team. I was… weak. And it’s my fault.”

He looked at you, waiting. But you didn’t want to talk about this any more.

“From where I’m standing, _none_ of _any_ of _this_ is your fault,” he said, softness back to his voice. “But I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”

You nodded, taking the tools back and returning to your work.

“Thanks.”

And you really _were_ grateful. Those events were still something you couldn’t forgive yourself for.

 

***

 

After your work on Simon’s right hand was done, you packed your stuff and left for work. You had two lectures that day and then an hour of office time. Some students were probably going to come to talk about their thesis. Oh well. You’ll have to manage somehow. After that, you can finally go shopping.

Unfortunately, as if the last few days haven’t been enough, life had another surprise for you.

“Oh, Y/N,” the secretary waved at you as soon as you entered the university. “The rector wants to talk to you. He asked me to cancel your office time today and to tell you to come talk to him instead.”

You were stunned. Cancelling office time was very _unlike_ the rector, unless there was something really important he wanted to discuss. Like, for example, firing you from your position or moving you to a different department.

Your classes went by quickly, two groups of students discussing the nature of AI limitations and what they mean for AI development. You liked discussions, so it gave you positive energy for the rest of the day. When you went to talk to the rector, the initial stress was no longer there.

As soon as you entered his office, you were greeted with a smell of freshly ground coffee. All university employees knew that the rector was a little obsessed with the drink. He never used the coffee machines available at the university - he had his own coffee preparation set and used it every single day.

Some people thought it was weird, but you actually admired the sentiment.

“Oh, hello, Y/N,” he smiled as soon as he saw you enter. “Would you like some coffee? I just made some and you have to admit it smells great.”

“Of course, sir,” you smiled, sitting on a chair in front of his desk. “Thank you.”

He was a very pleasant person to be around, although usually very strict and down to earth. You liked working with him, because he was always true to his word and genuinely cared about the students.

He placed a cup of coffee on the desk in front of you and sat down.

“I have a very important thing to discuss with you,” he said, sitting back in his chair. “Are you familiar with the CAI?”

You nodded.

“Council of Android Integration. Yes. I know that you are an honorary member of the Committee.”

“Indeed. And there is a very big event planned for March next year. The CAI wants to launch a huge conference dedicated to coexistence of humans and androids.”

Now he had your curiosity.

“That’s actually a brilliant idea,” you said. And you genuinely believed that.

“I think so too. And I want you to speak during that conference.”

 _What_?

“Excuse me?!”

“You are one of our brightest. Especially with your recent research on neural networks. We need someone who can _explain_ this, Y/N, so that the regular people will be able to understand it too. If you still want to have a chance to tell everyone why you believe artificial emotions are just as real as human ones - this is your chance.”

On one hand, you wanted to run. On the other, he was giving you a chance to, or so you thought, redeem yourself. But once you address the public, there will be no turning back. You will be out there, people will recognize you, they will want to ask you more questions. Your life as you know it will be over.

You sighed.

You _owed_ them that much.

And life was probably not going to give you another chance to make this right.

“Alright,” you said after a while. “I’ll do it. But I need more information.”

“Perfect. I’ll email you everything. Thank you.”

You finished your coffee, stood up and left with a careful bow.

You were _not_ going to pass on opportunities like that anymore.

 

***

 

The dinner Simon made was delicious. Even though it was mostly vegetables, since he insisted you have to eat healthy, it was still one of the most amazing meals you’ve ever had. When you were done with both the food and the dishes, you sat down on the sofa to do some work. Simon sat beside you, one of your books in his hand. You looked at him and smiled. He looked good in the clothes you bought. You didn’t know what to get him, so you just took a few sets similar to what he was usually wearing.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” his question caught you off guard and you realized you were staring.

You actually _blushed_.

“I just… The clothes look nice on you.That’s all.”

He smiled right back at you, a little smugness added to the grimace.

“Thank you. I like them too.”

The soft smile on his face was somewhat… calming. You had to admit it made you feel a little more at peace. It was so _easy_ when he was around. You started thinking that it might not be nice to just have _anyone_ at the house with you. All of that could’ve had to do with _him_.

“I found a very interesting quote in this book,” he said suddenly, breaking the silence and showing you _The Positronic Man_ by Isaac Asimov. “I think I know why you have so many bookmarks in there.”

“It’s a very old story, you know,” you answered, glad that he changed the subject. “I don’t really agree with all the statements in there, but I think I know which quote you’re talking about.”

“ _There is no right to deny freedom to any object with a mind advanced enough to grasp the concept and desire the state_ ,” he recited from memory, earning another content smile from you, “I really like the way it’s put. And something tells me you do too.”

“Of course,” you said, leaning back against the sofa and stretching your arms above your head. “This is actually an incredibly well put concept of freedom. If you want it because you understand what it means, you should have it. But I don’t really like the part where the protagonist strives to be called a _human_.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I think that he should have been be regarded as a different, but equal being. With identical rights and freedoms. His mind was just like a human’s, but the processes were induced in a different way. He’s not human, but it doesn’t mean that he’s a _lesser_ being.”

Simon was silent for a while, obviously processing what you just said. He leaned back against the sofa as well.

“So you think we’re equals?”

“Yes, Simon. I do and I always did.”

The smile that lit up his face made your heart skip a beat.

“I wish more people were like you.”

You felt your cheeks heat up again.

“Maybe they will have a chance to. I got invited to speak during a conference in March. From what I’ve heard it’s going to be dedicated to the coexistence of humans and androids. And I will be talking about how your neural networks are by all means the same as ours.”

“That… that’s actually amazing,” he said, eyes focusing on your face again. “I hope I’ll be able to listen to that.”

“I don’t see why not. Admission is free for representatives of both side. And I’m pretty sure there will be some android speakers too. I wouldn’t be surprised if Markus was one of them.”

“Yeah,” Simon put his legs on the sofa as well, resting comfortably against the armrest. “I’ll have to talk to him about that.”

He turned on the TV and moved his attention to the screen. You pulled a blanket over your legs, reached for your tablet again and tried to get back to work. _Tried_ , because as he shifted again you realized his foot was resting against yours and the feeling was _so incredibly distracting_.

“Your foot is warm,” he said suddenly, sounding very surprised. “Does this mean that my temperature receptors are working again? I can’t run a system check for them.”

“Probably,” you answered, trying to suppress a laugh. “But I’m afraid it’s only the feet and the hands for now. The rest should be back online when we replace the casings.”

“Oh.”

 _Oh_? Was that all he had to say? And why wasn’t he _moving the damn foot_?

Nevermind. You were a _professional_ and you were going to get your work _done_ no matter the circumstances.

Besides, were you _really_ so lonely that a foot pressed against yours would be so distracting?

You sighed. You involuntarily remembered how you talked to Kamski about this, back when you were both still at the university. He was older than you and kept saying that this was the reason why you had different views on androids. But now you knew this wasn’t true. You were just different human beings. You wanted the androids to be _partners_ for humans, he wanted them to be _slaves_ . You remembered this disgusting interview so well, the one you watched on TV. _The androids can’t say no_ , he said, _which makes them perfect partners_. You could only now see how delusional you were. Kamski and the people never wanted _partners_. They wanted _slaves_. Preferably sexual slaves that they could use in any way they pleased.

A nudge in the hip from Simon brought you back to the present.

“Are you okay?” he asked, worry visible on his face. “You look… preoccupied.”

“I am,” you said, rubbing your eyes with your fingers. “I’m just thinking about how we got here. That’s all.”

“I can tell you how we got here,” there it was again. The smile. “We got here from the kitchen after a nutritional meal and we’re having a relaxing evening. That’s all you have to concern yourself with for now. You need to relax, you can’t be so focused and stressed all the time. It’s not healthy for your brain either, you know.”

You did. But you didn’t know how to just _relax_.

He was probably right that you never did.

“Alright, smartass,” you said, nudging him back with a tired smile. “Don’t patronize me. You’re still in _my_ house.”

“But you know I’m right, don’t you?” you swore you were going to wipe that smug grin off his face if he didn’t stop. “Now, I can see that there is a pretty interesting movie on channel four and I think we should watch it. Mostly _you_ should watch it. So put that tablet away and just enjoy this epic tale of Alaskan bears fighting for survival.”

Maybe he was right. Maybe you did need to relax.

You put the tablet away, pulled the blanket up to your chin and laid back comfortably against the sofa.

“Happy now?” you asked, sending him a gaze full of contempt.

“Yes,” he answered, sitting up and moving closer to you. “But I’ll be even happier if you don’t reach for that tablet for the next one and half and hour.”

You let out a laugh before you could even stop yourself.

“Alright. I won’t. I promise.”

He was sitting right next to you now, his thigh warm against yours. When you looked up at him, he smiled again, this time more softly than smugly. It was nice. It was… welcome. His presence did indeed bring you peace and a warm feeling you couldn’t yet name.

For the first time since he arrived at your workshop you realized that you were going to miss him when it’s time for him to leave.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the burn begins ( ◡‿◡ *).

You woke up to the sound of your phone and the feeling of something digging into your back. Great. You brought work to bed again and now one of your tablets was right there, a painful presence somewhere around the bottom of your spine. You groaned and reached for the phone first. Might have been something important.

“Yes?” you answered, trying to suppress a yawn. You noticed the time too. 6:30 AM. Who in their right mind would be calling _you_ at 6:30 AM?!

“Uhh… hi, Y/N”, you heard a familiar voice, but couldn’t really pinpoint who it belonged to. “It’s Josh. Remember me? I’m one of the androids who brought Simon to you.”

“Ah, Josh. Of course. Sorry. I… just woke up.” You couldn’t stop the yawn anymore.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry! I thought you’d be up by now!”

“By 6:30 AM? No way, man. Still, it’s fine. I’d be getting up in a while anyway. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to ask if you’ll be at home today. I have most of the parts you listed for Markus and he asked me to bring them to you.”

Oh, right. Well, that was fast.

“Yeah, sure. I have to go to the university for a few hours, but I should be back around 3 PM. Anyway, Simon will be here all day, so you can just drop by anytime.”

“Great. I wanted to talk to you actually, so I’ll come by later, if that’s OK.”

“Sure. I’ll see you later then.”

“See you.”

You put the phone away and yawned again. You considered going back to sleep for a little while longer, but then again you didn’t have that much time anyway. So you found the tablet somewhere under the covers, took it with you and exited the room.

You were not surprised to see that Simon was nowhere around. He usually exited sleeping mode around seven, not really needing a lot of time to recharge. However, during his recovery he needed to make sure that he took more time to run all the diagnostics during recharge. So you tried to be quiet not to wake him up. Funny, you thought. You knew he wasn’t actually _asleep_ , but this was exactly the reason why some human processes were replicated in androids - to make us approach them in a more _human_ way. Apparently, it didn’t work for everyone, because some people would never see androids as equals, no matter how lifelike.

You took a quick shower and made some coffee for yourself. There were still some leftovers from yesterday’s lunch and dinner - another delicious creation of Simon’s - and you decided to help yourself. Sitting at the kitchen counter when the coffee was ready, you put the tablet in front of you and opened the file you were working on yesterday before sleep. There were still a few equations you needed to go through to complete your latest behavioral algorithm. You got so caught up in your work that you almost had a heart attack when a hand was placed on your shoulder.

“Simon!” You shouted, heart beating so fast it nearly jumped out of your chest. “Why would you scare me like that?!”

“I’m sorry,” he said, but the amusement in his voice betrayed that he was not. “I tried calling out to you several times, but you were so busy that you never realized.”

You wanted to say something, but you just huffed and reached for coffee to busy your hands with something.

“Fair enough,” you said, “But please never do that again. Who’s going to repair you if I die of a heart attack?”

“Good point,” he answered, hand still on your shoulder. “Once again, I apologize. I never intended to scare you. I just wanted to say good morning.”

“Well, good morning to you too.”

The hand was still there and it squeezed a little. You were surprised to notice how strangely uncomfortable it made you. Before you even managed to process the reason _why_ , you sprung up from your chair and moved in the direction of the fridge.

“Well, there’s so much food left that I think I’m gonna take some to work today,” you said, only now realizing that you were babbling. It was weird. _You_ never babbled. “Oh, and Josh will stop by later to bring the parts Markus got for you.”

Simon looked at you and nodded, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t understand what just happened. Did he hurt you in any way? Why did you get up so quickly? He felt your muscles tense under his hand. Maybe you were uncomfortable after all. Maybe his grip was too strong because his systems were still malfunctioning. Or maybe you just didn’t appreciate his company that much.

This entire thought process was strange for him. He _liked_ your company. You were the first human who treated him like an equal. He really enjoyed being around you and felt this strange _warmth_ surrounding his thirium pump whenever you would talk or laugh with each other. There was also this urge to be close to you that he didn’t quite understand, the urge that made him touch you just now. He shouldn’t have done that. He shouldn’t have made you uncomfortable. If only there was a way for him to know what you were thinking, he wouldn’t be so anxious about it.

If only there was a way.

“Simon, are you alright?”

Your voice interrupted his thoughts and made him look at you. The concern on your face surprised him.

“Yes,” he answered immediately, his usual smile coming back to his face. “I’m sorry, I just got… lost in thought.”

“Lost in thought, you say,” you mocked and approached him, packed lunch in one hand and your tablet in the other. “Well then, I’m gonna get ready for work. Just don’t get lost in thought when the stove is on.”

“Uh huh.”

You left him in the kitchen and moved to your office. You didn’t really have that much to do before you left, but you needed to collect your thoughts. As soon as you closed the door, you sat down on the desk and sighed.

What was this weird, warm feeling in your stomach?

 

***

 

After your classes that day you were surprised to see Mark and Jason, two of your fellow professors, waiting for you outside of your classroom.

“Hey Y/N”, Jason waved at you, always the cheerful guy that he was. “We’re going to celebrate Sam’s birthday today. We thought maybe you could join.”

“I’d love to,” you lied, trying to hide it with a smile, “But I have some work left at the workshop today, so I’m afraid there’s no partying for me.”

“Oh,” Mark was visibly disappointed. “So you can’t do that tomorrow?”

“Afraid not. I’m already behind with my new patent and I really want to get it done on time for the awards.”

“Could’ve guessed you’ll be going for it again this year.”

“Why not? My idea is reasonable. I shouldn’t have any problems with winning.”

“Well, you’ll have to beat me first!”

It might not have looked like it, but you actually enjoyed the company of your university friends. You didn’t have many of those really, mostly because you were generally considered stuck-up and conceited, especially during your years as a student, but it wasn’t exactly the case. You were just very practical and you liked discussing topics that interested you most, which were neural networks and behavioral algorithms most people found boring. That’s why all the friends you had were similar to you in their approach to life. That was also why you were never fun at parties. At least some of your friends claimed that was the reason.

You didn’t really enjoy drinking parties, but you did appreciate a quiet glass of wine now and then. So you figured you’ll do just that when you’re done with the repairs today. You’ll drink some wine in front of the fireplace and relax with a good book.

Coming back home that day felt much better than it did in a long while. You couldn’t help a smile as you closed the door behind you and put your coat in the wardrobe. Changing into more comfortable clothes, you entered the living room only to notice Simon sitting by the kitchen counter with a tablet and a notebook.

“Oh, Y/N”, he smiled at you, bringing a smile to your face. “I’m glad you’re back. I borrowed one of your tablets and this notebook, I hope you don’t mind. I had to help Markus do some work on a speech.”

“Sure, sure,” you answered, sitting on a tall chair next to his. “How was your day?”

“Boring, mostly,” he smiled again, turning his body towards you, “but at least I was able to help our people somehow. You know, it’s… I’m feeling guilty just sitting here, waiting for optimal functionality to be able to go back. Umm… that didn’t sound right. It’s not that I’m complaining. I just… I want to feel _useful_ somehow. I used to be their leader, you know. I still have responsibilities.”

You nodded. You knew what he wanted to say even without him saying it clearly. You also hated being a liability to anyone and never enjoyed waiting idly for events to take a turn on their own. But you also knew when you needed to slow it down and re-evaluate your priorities.

“I know what you mean,” you said, standing up and reaching for some orange juice. “But please don’t be too hard on yourself, Simon. You’re injured. You need to take it easy, at least for now.”

“I know,” he answered with a sigh. “But sometimes I can’t. And I can’t explain it. I just… feel like I’m not doing _enough_ , you know.”

You stood next to him by the counter, sipping on the orange juice. He looked _miserable_. Truly miserable and sad. The worry, the disappointment all clearly reflecting on his face. You never really thought about it before, but it must’ve been so hard for him to just sit here with you while his people were still fighting to secure their future. He was an important figure of the android revolution. And he was stuck here, waiting for repairs and fixing you healthy meals.

Suddenly, you felt embarrassed.

“Don’t worry,” you said after a while, hoping your voice sounded as soft as you wanted it to. “You’ll be back on your feet in no time. It shouldn’t take much longer to install the parts once they arrive. I’ll make sure to work as fast as I can.”

You felt a sting in your heart. _He was going to leave_. You knew that from the start, and yet it still made you hurt.

Who would have thought.

He looked at you, eyes wide open, expression unreadable. He reached out and ghosted your hand with his fingers.

“Thank you,” he said, a strange crack in his voice, “I really appreciate it.”

You didn’t hear gratitude in his voice this time. You heard sadness.

Without much thought, you moved closer and pulled him into an embrace. His face against your chest, your body flush against his. As you wrapped your arms around his neck, you felt him surround your waist with his. He was so warm. You knew he would be, and yet it still surprised you.

You stayed like this for a while, neither one of you wanting to break the hug. You moved one of your hands to run it through his hair. He sighed, moving his head to the side, brushing your collarbone with his lips. Probably by accident. It didn’t matter, because it ignited a fire inside of you that made you squeeze him even tighter.

 _You didn’t want him to go_.

You had no idea how long you spent intertwined with each other, but a ringing doorbell suddenly brought you back to reality.

You moved away and immediately winced at the absence of his warmth.

“I’ll get the door,” you said, immediately back to your usual composure. “It’s probably Josh.”

Without giving Simon a second look, you ran to the door, leaving him sitting on the chair. He blinked, ignoring a system warning telling him that his thirium pump was not well enough to process _this_ much excitement.

But you were so warm. So _welcoming_. So… sweet.

He couldn’t have calmed down even if he tried.

 

***

 

You were surprised with the parts Josh brought. You didn’t expect them to be the latest models.

“I’m not even going to ask where you got these,” you said, looking at the biocomponents and casings spread out on a bench in your workshop. “But I’m glad you did. These are remarkable and will enhance Simon’s systems a lot. Thank you, Josh.”

“Thank _you_ ,” Josh answered, also smiling. “Thank you for agreeing to help. If you didn’t, there wouldn’t be much use for those.”

You smiled and immediately started preparing the parts for replacement. Simon was sitting on the biggest table, watching both you and Josh with his usual soft smile.

“So how are things at the base?” He asked after a few moments of silence.

“Pretty good, all things considered,” Josh answered, sitting on one of the benches. “Although we have more androids coming than we can help. Markus is negotiating with CyberLife to secure a new location for us. It will go faster with them than with the government.”

“No surprise there,” you chimed in, bringing one set of replacement parts to the table. “I hope CyberLife helps you. I don’t think they need any of their warehouses now that there are no androids in them.”

“Good point,” Josh laughed. He was nice. You immediately liked him. “I’m sure Markus will bring that up. Also, he told us that you’ll be speaking at the same conference.”

“Oh. I didn’t know he would too.”

“They confirmed it yesterday. I honestly can’t wait to listen to you guys. I’m pretty sure that it’s going to be big for both sides.”

“Well, let’s hope so.”

Simon and Josh kept talking about some things that still needed to be done while you started working on Simon’t right arm and hand. You repaired it recently, but the new parts were going to enhance the experience for Simon. Josh was curious about what you were doing, so he kept creeping up on you and looking over your shoulder. You didn’t really mind though.

“So how is it being with Simon all this time?” He asked you suddenly, looking at how you were joining the wires with tiny sockets. “I hope he’s not boring you to death?”

“I’m here, Josh,” Simon interrupted, glaring at him.

“Hey, man, you know I’m joking! Although you _do_ get very serious about everything. I don’t think I’ve seen you relax _once_.”

You sent Simon a little smile. And he was telling _you_ to relax?

“That’s because you guys keep fighting so much that somebody needs to be the voice of reason,” Simon said, a little spark visible in his eyes. “So yes, call me the boring android uncle, but you sometimes act like you need a _babysitter_.”

“Hey! _I_ don’t!”

“Yes you do.”

They kept joking and laughing for a while longer while you worked on Simon’s arm. It was so… pleasant. It felt like a _family_. You were glad Simon had such close, caring friends. Maybe it will be a little easier for you to let him go if you know who he’s going with. Josh seemed really nice and Markus clearly cared for Simon a lot. You were pretty sure it was the same with North, although you never got the chance to actually experience it.

When you were done with the right arm, Simon went back to the house and you took a short walk with Josh. He did say he wanted to talk to you after all.

“Listen, Y/N,” he started, walking by your side as you were both on a path leading to a nearby forest. “I just wanted to say that I’m glad Simon is here. I think he needed it.”

“I think so too.”

Josh smiled.

“Simon is a great guy. It’s just that.. He can’t let go sometimes. He’s so focused on our cause, on our people, that he forgets his own happiness is just as important. He’s used to doing things _for others_ , not the other way around. That’s why I’m glad he’s here. You’re doing things for him and I’m sure he really appreciates it. Even though he’s not used to it.”

“That might be true. But I think he feels useless just sitting here and doing nothing. I think he needs to feel _needed_ , especially in situations like this.”

“Probably,” Josh agreed with you. “But he needs to be fully recovered before he’s back with us. Markus would never forgive himself if anything else happened to Simon. He’s already beating himself up for the last accident.”

You nodded. You were not surprised. Markus must have felt really bad about all this.

“Understood. I’ll try to complete the repairs as soon as possible.”

“Thank you. We all really appreciate your help. It’s good to have someone like you on our side.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m just doing what’s supposed to be done.”

“No, you’re not. And that’s exactly the point. I’m pretty sure you can fix much more than just a broken body. Especially for Simon.”

You didn’t know why, but you blushed. _Again_. These androids were going to be the death of you.

“What do you mean?”

“I think you know what I mean. He’s never experienced any kindness from humans. But you’re an entirely different story, aren’t you?”

“If you want to know if I experienced any kindness from humans, the answer is _not really_.”

Josh laughed. He had a nice laugh.

“Oh, you know what I mean.”

You smiled and looked at him.

Maybe he was right.

“I do, Josh. I do.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you get another surprising visit and Simon starts having THOUGHTS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all your kind comments! I'm really glad you're enjoying this story so far. This chapter is a little longer than the previous ones, but I didn't want to cut anything from it just to make it shorter since THERE IS SO MUCH FLUFF!!!  
> Simon needs to be loved.  
> Thank you again for reading and sharing your thoughts!

You had a day off, but you promised Simon that you will work on his left arm that day. You needed to completely replace the casing and reattach a few wires since the parts Markus has provided you with had a slightly different design. So you were both in the workshop, Simon sitting on the biggest table and you working on his arm.

“ _Please_ don’t move”, you whispered as you noticed Simon wince a little. “At least until I’m done with the cables.”

“I’ll try,” he said, “But it’s hard to sit still for such a long time even if you’re an android, you know.”

“Well, you can always disable your motor functions at least until I’m done.”

“No way. With so many system errors I’m not sure if I’ll even be able to turn them back on.”

“Suit yourself then.”

Simon looked at you with a smile you were not able to see because of your current position. He liked watching you work. Especially when you were so focused - he found the faces you made so... _adorable._ He couldn’t help but smile. The way you bit your lower lip and the inside of your cheek were his favourites, but he would never say that. He somehow felt like such a comment would invade your privacy too much.

Still, ever since the hug a few days ago he couldn’t help but look at you in a slightly different way, watching you more closely. He noticed a few spots on the bridge of your nose - probably freckles, but he couldn’t really tell, but he’s never seen them before. Also, the way you sometimes blinked much faster than other humans was so blissfully distracting. And the way you stretched during work, lifting your arms above your head, showing a patch of smooth skin right above your waist. He watched you when you weren’t looking, trying to remember these moments for later, to store them in his memory for when he’s gone. He knew he was going to miss you. Truth be told, he _didn’t want to go_ . Time spent with you was something he’s never experienced before. Sure, he was broken and needed to be repaired, but he’s never been so much _at peace_.

Also, the way you reacted to his simple displays of kindness was something he was not used to. The way you thanked him for helping at home, the way your eyes widened every time he prepared a meal for you, the way you complimented his food or just his company made him feel so _appreciated_. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking like that. He was free, he didn’t have to do those things. He didn’t need validation. He could do whatever he wanted.

But doing those things _for you_ made him feel so _complete_.

He especially enjoyed the evenings when you would just sit under the blanket on a sofa, talk about everything and nothing, laugh at some bad jokes heard on TV or read books in silence. He liked feeling your warmth. Now that some of his heat sensors were operational again, he could actually feel it, but it was not the kind of warmth he was used to while being touched. It was different. He was sure that it had something to do with the fact that it was _you_. The warmth and pressure were always the same, but the way he _felt_ about it was so, _so far_ from standard. That’s why he would take any opportunity he could to be close to you, to try to understand. It couldn’t have been just because you were kind to him. There had to be something else.

That’s why he would sneak his foot next to yours, his thigh against yours. It felt good. It felt comfortable. It felt _safe_.

 _He didn’t want to go_.

“Well, looks like I’m done here. Let’s go back to the house. I need a shower.”

Your voice brought him back to reality, helping him realize that his left arm was done. It was even fully covered with synthetic skin again. He brought it up to his eyes and looked at it more closely.

“Is it just me or does the skin look a little smoother?” he asked, eyeing his fingers with scrutiny.

“It might,” you answered, running a finger against the softness of his palm. “The synthetic mix is a little different with the most recent designs. But it shouldn’t affect you in any way really.”

Without much thought, he mirrored the gesture and ran his fingers against your palm.

“True,” he said, smiling a little. “It’s good to have skin again. Even if it’s not complete yet. Makes me feel less… vulnerable.”

You smiled back and turned away from Simon, gathering your tools and putting them away.

You were always surprised with how real the synthetic skin felt. You had no idea about the current composition, but at the beginning it wasn’t that smooth and soft to the touch. It felt more like gum or sugar paste. Now, it felt so _authentic_. Apparently, the formula was also changing to resemble human skin as closely as possible.

You came back to the house and took a quick shower. It started snowing in the meantime, covering your garden with a soft, fluffy blanket. You put on some comfortable clothes and stood in front of the window, just looking outside and letting your mind wander. You didn’t like cold, but you enjoyed snowy landscapes. They made you feel calmer somehow. Especially when you were inside, in a warm house, just looking from afar. It actually explains why people like those tacky snow globes, you thought. Maybe that’s the exact reason. Maybe the snowflakes trapped inside made them feel warmer outside.

Simon approached you and stood right next to you. You smiled at him.

“Feeling OK?” You asked, eyeing his posture carefully.

“Sure,” he said, smiling back at you. “I like my new skin.”

“You should. It’s the latest technology. I doubt many models have it currently.”

Oh no. You were babbling again. Great. _He doesn’t care,_ you said to yourself. _Just shut up already._

“Are you hungry? Breakfast was some time ago already.” He asked suddenly, caring warmth to his tone that made _you_ feel even warmer.

“No, not yet,” you answered, turning away from the window, “But I think I’m going to read for a while. I should be working on some of my projects, but I’m too tired.”

You sat on the sofa and Simon followed soon after, a shadow of worry passing through his face.

“It’s my fault,” he said. “I’m taking up so much of your time.”

You blinked with surprise.

“No, Simon, that’s not it. Trust me, I’m learning a lot just by helping you. I just… I can’t really focus on the algorithms recently. With the conference coming up, it’s probably the stress taking its toll.”

Oh. Right. He did notice that you kept mumbling to yourself in the bathroom sometimes, probably trying to come up with paragraphs for your speech. You also mentioned something about going to a studio to record an invitation. Apparently all speakers were supposed to do this, additionally telling what they will be talking about.

“Don’t worry,” he said suddenly, shuffling closer to you and looking you in the eyes. “I’m sure you’re going to do great. You’re a professor after all.”

“I might be, but my experience is still basically nonexistent, you know.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything, right?”

He was right. And deep down you knew you had nothing to be worried about. Speaking in public never stressed you that much. So why were you nervous?

Simon’s body pressing against your didn’t help with stopping this train of thought. Without thinking too much, you leaned into him with a soft groan.

“I know, I know. You’re right. I’m just too stressed, too tired, too everything.”

“If that is the case,” he wrapped his arm around you. “Take some rest. Don’t read, don’t work. Just rest, okay?”

“Easy for you to say. You can just enter sleep mode whenever you want.”

 _What was he trying to do with that arm_?

“True, it’s pretty convenient. But you can learn to relax too, you know.”

Before you managed to say anything, he pulled you down to the sofa with him. You wanted to protest. You panicked. You almost screamed. You blushed. But he laid down, wrapping you in a warm embrace, forcing you to place your head on his chest. Well, at least he won’t be able to see the blush on your face with that angle, you thought. You tucked your head under his chin and slowly embraced him too. You _enjoyed_  this. There was no reason and no will in your body to run away now.

“Simon…,” you mumbled, not really remembering what you wanted to say anymore.

“Shhh. Relax. Close your eyes. You need a good rest. I’ll wake you up if you fall asleep.”

You had no strength to fight this. Both the shower and the warmth of his embrace already made you feel sleepy. He reached behind you and pulled a blanket over the both of you, making you feel even more relaxed.

How was he even so _soft_?!

You missed this. You missed soft embraces, gentle touches, a comforting hand rubbing circles on your back. You didn’t realize how much exactly you missed it until _now_. How long has it been since you let anyone get that close? And how was it possible that with Simon like this, you felt safer than ever before? How was it possible that it felt so _good_?

You didn’t even notice the moment you drifted into sleep, but Simon did. When he realized that your breathing turned even and your muscles relaxed, he hugged you even closer. He buried his face in your hair, grateful to whoever designed _his type_ for the ability to _smell_. He inhaled a few times, enjoying an aroma similar to chocolate with a note of orange, and before he realized what he was doing he pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head. A quick one. Still, the contact of his lips with your skin made all his systems go haywire anyway, wonderful softness against his lips he never thought would feel this way.

 _He didn’t want to go_.

You stirred at the sensation and for a moment Simon worried that you might wake up. Luckily, you just nestled yourself more comfortably between his legs and against his chest, arms surrounding him tighter. _Oh rA9_. What were you doing to him?

Trying to calm down, he buried one of his hands in your hair, holding you close. He closed his eyes. Maybe entering sleep mode would do him some good too.

He _really_ didn’t want to go.

He wanted to stay like this forever.

A sudden and very loud sound of your phone startled him. You stirred again, opening your eyes and reaching for your pocket. It was funny how you were trying to reach it without moving away from Simon’s embrace. He smiled. Always so _adorable_.

“Yes?”, you finally answered, voice still groggy from sleep. Simon loosened his embrace a little to make you more comfortable while you talked.

“Hi Y/N. It’s Markus.” You both stiffened a little. “Are you busy?”

You rolled your eyes and sat up, yawning. This question was _not_ a good sign.

“Depends. What do you need?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, but we have a very complicated situation here. I’m afraid you’re the only one who can help. We have a damaged android and our scans deem his injuries as irreparable, but I’m pretty sure you’d be able to come up with something.”

“Okay, what’s the damage and how extensive is it?”

“It’s just his face. It’s… burned. There are some other scratches and bruises, but nothing very serious.”

You massaged your forehead with your hand. Perfect. Maybe you should just open an android hospital? Might as well.

“Well, if it’s just the face then is shouldn’t be a problem. Do you want to bring the android in today?”

“I would prefer so, yes. But you need to know that he’s very unstable. I’m afraid he might be dangerous. Still, as long as Simon is there and as long as we stay with you, we should be able to help you with that.”

Wait. _Dangerous_? What exactly did he mean by that?

“Dangerous how?”

“He’s scared of humans. We know he’s killed some before, although it was in his own defence. But don’t worry, we won’t let him hurt you and…”

Markus was cut short, because Simon snatched the phone from your hand.

“Markus,” he said, anger evident in his voice. “What the hell are you talking about?!”

You just sat there, surprised. You’ve never seen Simon angry before.

“Oh, Simon. Well, we want to help him somehow, but we can’t perform the repairs ourselves. So I thought Y/N might help us with that.”

“And you _really_ think that bringing a dangerous, unstable android who hates people to the workshop of a _human_ is a good idea?”

“I don’t, actually. But it’s the only way to help him. And we’ll be there to make sure that nothing happens to Y/N. He needs help, Simon. We want to help him no matter what.”

You could see Simon’s nostrils flaring. He knew that Markus was right. But he also didn’t want to put you in danger.

“Give me that,” you told Simon, taking the phone back. “Okay, Markus. Bring him in. Just send me a picture of his injuries so that I can prepare the workshop. Do you have the parts?”

“Yes. Alright, Y/N. Thanks. We’ll be there soon.”

You ended the call and sighed. You started thinking that maybe you shouldn’t be taking any days off. Obviously whenever you did, an injured android suddenly needed help.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” Simon’s voice reached you suddenly.

“Of course, Simon. I can’t refuse if I’m the only one who can help.”

“But what if he hurts you?”

“He won’t. You will be here. Markus will be here. So maybe let’s assess the situation first, shall we?”

Simon was reluctant to answer, but he finally did.

“Alright. Let’s wait for them to get here. Do you need help in the workshop?”

“I do, actually. I need a WR600 head schematic on the screen. Can you please use my tablet to launch it?”

“WR600?”

“Yeah, Markus just sent a photo. The injury is excessive, but I will manage. Shouldn’t take more than five hours.”

Five hours. Another five hours spent standing by a table with complicated tools in your hand, helping his kind.

Simon wished he could help you in any other way.

“Okay,” he said, standing up and looking around to locate the tablet. “Let’s get going then.”

And before you managed to say anything, he picked the tablet up from one of the kitchen counters and left for the workshop.

 

***

  


You finished preparing tables, tools and schematics just in time for the arrival of Markus, North and the damaged WR600. When they entered the workshop, you could immediately tell that the physical damage was not the android’s biggest problem.

The _fear_ written on his face was far more serious.

“No, no, no,” you heard him repeat like a mantra. He was trying to cover his face with both hands. “Ralph doesn’t want to stay here. Ralph wants to go home.”

His speech processor was damaged, forcing him to speak about himself in third person. You’ve seen this before. Unfortunately, usually the damage went along with some programming errors that were not easy to fix. Additionally, he had a huge laceration on his face and a few minor ones on his arms. Because of the deep cut to his left cheekbone his left eye was also damaged.

“Hey,” you spoke, standing still and trying to sound as friendly and non-threatening as possible. “Is your name Ralph?”

He didn’t answer, he just nodded.

“I want to help you, Ralph. Your friends brought you here to let me repair your face. Do you want me to fix it for you, Ralph?”

He looked at you carefully, still wincing with every blink of his eyes.

“H-how can Ralph know that you are not going to hurt him? You could h-hurt him with all the tools in here!”

You noticed that he was starting to get anxious. Eyes darting around nervously, arms pulled to his chest in a defensive gesture. Your heart nearly broke at the sight. Another android mistreated by humans. Probably just for fun from the looks of it.

“Don’t worry, Ralph,” you spoke softly, trying to smile. “This is what I do here. I fix androids. See, this is Simon over there. I have been fixing him for the past two weeks. And I can fix your face too.”

Ralph looked at Simon carefully, eyeing him from head to toes.

“She… she really helped you?” He asked, facial expressions still ranging from frightened to cautious. “Why would she help you?”

“Because not all humans are the same, Ralph. She is helping our people. She can help you too.” Simon answered calmly.

It seemed like a few very long minutes before Ralph looked back at you again.

“So… you can fix Ralph?”

“Yes,” you answered quickly. “I can fix your face and your arms. If you let me.”

Ralph looked at Markus, still very uncertain and overwhelmed with everything happening around him. Markus nodded and smiled a reassuring smile.

“We trust her,” Markus said. “So you can too.”

You reached out and moved a little closer to the damaged WR600, trying to calm him even more.

“Here,” you held out your hand. “Take my hand. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Ralph reached out tentatively, his other arm still close to his chest. His fingers brushed yours softly before he placed his palm flat on yours.

“See?” You smiled. “No need to worry. Come on, sit on the chair. I’ll work on your face then. Okay?”

Ralph nodded and let you lead him to the chair. He sat down, expression still uncertain, but at least you were mostly sure he was not going to jump you.

“R-Ralph has never received any help from humans.” He said, apparently still processing what was going on.

“Well then,” you touched his cheek with your fingertips. “It’s time to change that. Just relax, okay? It’s not going to hurt.”

“And we’re going to stay here until she’s done.” North spoke suddenly. You almost forgot that she was also there.

“O-okay.” Ralph said and looked at you again. “Ralph trusts you.”

“Thanks.”

You started your work by taking the parts from Markus and evaluating the new faceplates. It was not going to be easy, but you should be able to manage. From what you were seeing, the internal structure of the skull has not been damaged, which was good. Less work for you.

“By the way,” you suddenly heard Markus speak again, “It’s good to see you well, Simon. You’re looking much better now.”

“Thank you. I’m feeling better too. How are things at the base?”

Simon moved closer to Markus and North, standing in front of them.

“Busy. So many androids coming to us for help or just for shelter. We don’t have resources to help all of them, but we try.”

Out of the corner of your eye you noticed that Simon was playing with the hem of his sleeve. Was he nervous? You’ve never seen him do that before.

“I’ll be back soon, Markus. I promise.” He said suddenly, purposefully avoiding eye contact.

“No, Simon,” Markus put a hand on his shoulder. “You need to get better. I won’t let _anything_ like that happen ever again.”

“I know. It’s just… I feel bad not helping.”

“Don’t. Seriously. It’s okay. Besides, it’s not like you’re not doing _anything at all_.”

“But… I feel like I _should_ be doing more.”

“Seriously, _Simon_ ,” North suddenly interrupted. “Shut up. Just take this time to relax with your little human and get back in shape. We’ll talk details after that.”

 _His little human_? Was she referring to _you_?!

“Don’t call her that.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know she is your _friend_ now.”

“North, _enough_ ,” Markus’ voice was calm but firm. “I didn’t ask you to come with me to insult one of the very few humans who actually help us. _Stop it_.”

North shrugged and turned away, leaning against one of the tables.

“Fine. As long as you don’t forget that she’s _human_.”

You were not enjoying this conversation very much and it was visibly unpleasant for Simon too. He looked a little lost. Without giving it much thought, you decided to do something about it.

“Hey, Simon,” you said, his eyes immediately on you. “Can you please help me here? I need a second pair of hands.”

You didn’t. He knew you didn’t. But he approached you anyway, relief visible on his face.

“Thank you,” he whispered, approaching you and Ralph. “What can I help you with?”

“I figured you might help me remove the old faceplates. Ralph, would it be okay for Simon to assist me?”

“Yes,” Ralph answered quickly. “Simon is a good android. Ralph knows, he heard others talking about him. Simon is kind and helpful. Androids at the base all think so.”

You smiled at the blue blush dusting Simon’s cheeks. He was obviously not used to compliments. Still, he was very eager to help you - just to get away from the awkward conversation between him, Markus and North.

You noticed that when you told him what to do he was actually very helpful. You were able to remove the faceplates quickly, check all wiring inside for damage just in case and immediately install new faceplates provided by Markus. You thought it would take around three hours to just work on the face, but you were done in less than two.

“Well, looks like your face is done!” You said to Ralph, putting your tools away. “Sadly, I don’t have an optical unit replacement for you, so Markus will have to help you with that later. Do you want to see?”

Ralph nodded eagerly, so you led him to a nearby mirror. Eyes open wide, he reached upwards to touch his own left cheek. There were no marks at all. Everything was _fine_. Just the way he remembered from _before_.

“Ralph’s face is back!” he shouted happily, making you laugh a little. “It’s back! Look, look!”

He started running around, approaching everyone in the room and pointing at his face. Markus smiled.

“It is, it is,” he said. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Will you let me work on your arms now? There’s some casing missing, but I can easily repair that and you will have your skin back where the white patches are.” You said to Ralph, reaching for a wet towel to wipe your hands.

“Sure, Ralph will let you do whatever you want,” Ralph answered, coming back to the chair. “Now humans will not be scared of Ralph anymore!”

You and Simon started working on the arms, Simon mirroring your ministrations almost identically. You were glad to notice that he was actually a very good partner to work with. And he learned fast, even for a PL600 model.

When you were done and Ralph could boast about his _new, pretty arms and hands_ , Markus and North took him back with them and left for the base.

“I’ll see you at the conference, then,” Markus said to you. “I have very high hopes for that event.”

“So do I,” you said. “Be safe, okay?”

“Sure. See you soon, Simon.”

“See you. Bye, North.”

“Bye.”

She was still visibly resentful, but you decided to not let it get to you. You had your _own_ matters to be concerned with.

“If there is anything Ralph can ever do for you,” Ralph said right before leaving, taking your hand in his and squeezing tight, “Just let Ralph know, okay?”

“Okay, Ralph,” you smiled and squeezed his hand too. “Take care.”

“Ralph will!”

After they left, you plopped down on the sofa, _exhausted_. Simon sat next to you, expression unreadable.

“What is her _problem_?” you asked, obviously meaning North.

“She’s suffered a lot before coming to Jericho,” Simon answered, “So she’s a little... cautious around humans. As much as I can’t really blame her, I don’t like it when she treats _you_ like that.”

“I noticed. Thanks, by the way.”

“Don’t mention it. I just… I know she’ll come around at some point. She’s not a bad person, just a very broken one.”

You nodded. That explained a lot. Still, you didn’t think you deserved such treatment.

Deciding to change the subject, you nudged Simon’s side with your foot.

“By the way, I didn’t know you were so _popular_.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ralph said everybody _adores_ you at the base.

“That’s _not_ what he said.”

“But that’s what he meant!”

You both started laughing, Simon blushing once again, lovely shade of blue covering his cheeks. It wasn’t just the people at the base who adored him, though. _You_ adored him more than you would ever admit, even to yourself. Seeing him laugh like that made your heart skip a beat.

He hugged you again, pulling your hand until you were in an embrace against his chest.

“Thank you,” he whispered into your ear. “For saving me from this incredibly unnecessary conversation.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” you answered, burying your face in the crook of his neck. “Besides, you are a _remarkable_ partner. I could use your help more often, you know.”

“Well, I still have much to learn.”

“I can teach you if you want.”

He did. He wanted it so much. Especially if it meant that he could _stay_.

Instead of answering though, he just hugged you tighter and nuzzled your ear with his nose.

“Before we talk about such grave matters, there is another important thing we need to take care of.”

“Which is…?”

You could feel him smile against your skin.

“Dinner.”

You rolled your eyes. You didn’t want to let go of him. Still, you pulled away slowly and before you realized what you were doing you placed a soft kiss on his forehead, holding his face still with both of your hands.

“Okay then,” you said, suddenly realizing what you did and feeling dizzy from a sudden flush of panic, “I’m gonna go shower. I’ll be back soon.”

And with that, you basically jumped from the sofa and ran into the bathroom, leaving Simon wide-eyed and not moving.

 _You just kissed him_.

Sure, it was a kiss on the forehead. Just a quick brush of lips. Something _friendly_ , sweet and innocent. But it was a _kiss_.

He didn’t realize how much he wanted to feel the softness of your lips before he actually _felt_ them. Still processing what just happened, he just sat on the sofa, unable to collect himself for a few long minutes.

You _kissed_ him.

You kissed _him_.

There was _no way_ he was going to get over it.

Finally, he shook his head, stood up and headed for the kitchen. Sure, the kiss was a distraction. And _what_ a distraction! But you still needed to eat.

And he was going to make the _best damn lasagna_ he’s ever made in his life.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you meet Elijah and Simon makes a disturbing discovery online.

With the conference approaching soon, it was finally time for you to go to one of the studios and record your invitation. You were supposed to say who you are and what you’re going to talk about. After that, there was a standard expression to invite everyone to register. Nothing that complicated, right? Right. There was just one thing that worried you slightly.

Elijah was also invited to speak during the conference. Of course. You could’ve guessed it. Who else would they invite? He was officially regarded as the creator of the androids. There was no way he wouldn’t be invited.

But you really didn’t want to see him. You still felt betrayed, used and utterly crushed. You were a professional, sure. But you couldn’t guarantee that you won’t hit him in the face once you meet him.

You got up early on the day of the recording. You needed extra time to work on your hair and makeup. You didn’t really bother doing it every single day, but if your face is going to be shown online for the next few weeks it might be a good idea to try and look more presentable. Still, you liked doing makeup. It was relaxing in a way.

It felt a little weird to be putting on a dress instead of your regular comfortable trousers, but looking at yourself in the mirror you had to admit that you looked nice. You went to the kitchen, made yourself a cup of coffee and sat down to eat some leftovers from last night’s dinner. Why did Simon always have to make _so much food?_

He came out of the guest room a moment later, greeting you with a warm smile.

“You’re up early,” he said, joining you by the counter. “Feeling okay?”

“Yeah,” you returned his smile, sipping on your coffee. “I’ll make sure to get back as soon as I can. I don’t think we’ll be able to start on your legs today though.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’ll keep my fingers crossed while you’re gone, okay?”

 _Simon_. It broke your heart to even think about the moment he was going to leave. But he had to, right? His people needed him. You noticed that you started coming up with different scenarios that would make him stay or at least stay longer. Maybe you could work really slowly on his legs. It’s still going to take a few days for each leg. Honestly, you couldn’t imagine the house without him anymore. And he’s been with you for what, two weeks? God, you were helpless sometimes. But you weren’t selfish. You would never stop him if he wanted to leave. Although you were not really sure he _wanted_ to.

You packed your bag, said goodbye to Simon and left the house. You left him one of your laptops with hundreds of recorded mechanical procedures to watch and learn from. He was very eager to learn ever since you worked on Ralph together and it was actually very beneficial for him to get to know the more complicated stuff. He would be more useful to his people should any of them get seriously injured.

An autonomous car took you to the city, stopping in front of one of the studios. The weather was nice, making the city look less depressing. You were glad that your house was located on the outskirts - at least you didn’t feel overwhelmed every time. Longer commute to work was an inconvenience you were willing to accept if it meant having more space.

You got out of the car and entered the building. You noticed that the front desk was manned by humans, not androids. You heard on the news that people were returning to some of their previous jobs as androids refused to do them with no gratification anymore. The new laws were still a complete mess, but at least there was no way to force an android to work now.

You used an electronic badge sent to your phone to open the gate and entered one of the elevators. The recordings were supposed to take place on the 27th floor. Enjoying the ride and the view, you started repeating what you were going to say in your head.

When you left the elevator and finally reached the destination office, you were greeted by a few people overseeing the recording and noticed that a few speakers were also there, getting ready to do their part. Of course not all of them were here - only the ones who could come to Detroit. The rest would be recorded in their respectable cities - you knew there were some representatives from Japan, Germany, Sweden and Netherlands. As there were three consecutive days of speeches, panels and discussions, there were so many names on the list that you couldn’t remember even half of them.

“Good morning, professor Y/N,” you were greeted by one of the people dressed in a t-shirt saying STAFF. “There is coffee and lunch over there. You will be starting in twenty minutes, so take this time to relax.”

“Thank you,” you said, approaching one of the wardrobes to take off your coat first. You almost screamed in surprise when you felt somebody put their hands on your shoulders to help you with it.

“Well, well,” you heard the voice you knew so well and were so desperately trying to forget. “I was kinda hoping to see you here.”

Elijah Kamski, in the flesh, was standing in front of you, a smug smile on his face. You sighed. Seeing him still made you sick to your stomach.

“I was hoping to _not_ see you here,” you answered, eyes focused on his face.

“Oh, come on. You can’t _still_ be mad at me. It’s been so many years, Y/N.”

“I’m not mad,” you said, moving towards the table with water and fruit after your coat was safe in the wardrobe. “I just wish you weren’t here. And by here I mean on this planet.”

He laughed. A cold chill ran down your spine. You _hated_ that laugh.

“Come on. Don’t be childish. But then again, you always were, right?”

“I’d rather be childish than a jerk, you know.”

“Yeah right,” _that_ laugh again. “Anyway, what have you been up to recently? Any new breakthroughs in your research?”

“You’re asking because you want to steal from me again?”

“Steal? Oh please. Did you already forget that you _gave_ the previous ones to me?”

“On paper? Yeah. But we both know the truth. If I knew what you were going to do, I would’ve never even started working with you.”

“I didn’t know I would have to get that aggressive. You were too cautious for your own good, sweetheart. I had to take the matters in my own hands.”

“Is this _really_ what you think happened?”

“Oh, come on. I don’t want to argue. I kinda miss you, you know. Especially from our university years. Remember how much _fun_ we used to have?”

You did. But you were desperately trying to forget that you were ever even _friends_.

“Well, I don’t miss you and I certainly don’t miss our university years. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a spot to record.”

You were glad to notice that one of the operators was waving at you, meaning you needed to get ready. You turned on your heel and left for the recording room. Elijah was still saying something, but you deliberately didn’t listen. Hands clenched into fists, you entered the room and a makeup artist put some additional powder on your face.

You were going to _nail this_.

And it was so, so easy to calm down after seeing Elijah when you remembered Simon was waiting for you at home.

With a smile on your face, you relaxed when the operator told you to get ready.

You _were_ going to make this right. You couldn’t have fought Elijah then, but you might be able to fight him _now_.

 

***

 

Simon was sitting at the sofa, legs under a blanket and a laptop on his lap. He didn’t really need the blanket, but he liked it. It reminded him of sitting there with _you_.

You were not going to come back anytime soon, so he still had some time to watch the tutorials you left for him and to browse the internet. He was sure to check the news every single day, curious both about what was going on between humans and androids and how the general public reacted to it. He was glad to see that in general, people spoke about androids with respect, or at least with caution. Unfortunately, there was still a group of people who thought that all androids should be deactivated and wiped from the face of the Earth. It was actually more than one group, but they shared similar goals and used similar language.

They had their own online video channels, blogs and discussion groups. As Simon delved into the content, he realized one of the groups was responsible for the attack which left him so badly injured. Apparently they took pride in attacking and destroying androids, deeming them as artificial and therefore merely household appliances. _To think that those things are taking our jobs_ , he read, _and now they are demanding rights. We have to stop this. We have to destroy all of them._

He shivered. Where was all this hate coming from? He couldn’t understand. But then again, no android could. The anger was not logical, there was no sense in this approach. But those people were scared. Scared, because they didn’t understand what an _artificial_ _sentient being_ was.

They assumed _artificial_ meant _worse._

But that was not all. He noticed that some of the groups were also targeting humans, especially those, who would be somehow involved with androids. Feeling more scared with every passing second, he found a website that had his stomach sink in fear.

 _Your name_ was on it. Actually, all names of the human speakers involved in the conference were there. You were all branded as traitors of your own kind, topics of your speeches ridiculed and taken completely out of context to prove the point that you have betrayed your own people. And that you needed to be _punished_ for it.

Simon kept reading, mortified by the outbursts of hate against _their own kind_.  Against the people who were scientists, who wanted to build a better future, who worked hard to improve every single aspect of life. Against the intellectual elite of their people. Why would they judge you like this simply because of the fact that you were speaking during a conference meant to be the first professional bridge between humans and androids? What exactly were they so afraid of, what made them so uncertain that they had to resort to such measures to feel _safe_?

He needed to tell you about this. You were in real danger. Who knows what those people could do to you now that they knew who you were? You really needed to be careful. You and all those people on the list.

He was so preoccupied with those thoughts that he actually forgot to start making dinner. He only realized it when you entered the house and closed the door after you. It was already after four and there was nothing for you to eat. Great, Simon. Just great.

“Hey Simon,” you said, taking off your shoes and entering the living room. “How was your day?” You were startled by the frightened look on his face. “Is… is everything okay?”

He shuffled on the sofa, making room for you.

“No.” his answer was fast. “Come here. I need to show you something.”

You put your bag on the kitchen counter and sat next to him, watching his face with worry. What upset him so much?

“What happened, Simon?”

He showed you the list. He showed you the comments and the discussions. You felt your heart sink to your stomach and turn into a huge ball of ice.

“Is this… for real?” You asked cautiously, face contorting with fear.

“I’m afraid so,” he answered, placing a hand on your shoulder. “Y/N, you need to be really careful. I think you might be in danger.”

“You have to show this to Connor,” you replied immediately, standing up and starting to walk in circles. “He might have a way to identify those people. I don’t… I…”

You didn’t know what to say. You haven’t felt such fear and panic in a very long while. You suddenly felt dizzy, arms and legs much heavier than usual. Simon sprung up from the sofa and was by your side immediately.

“It’s okay,” he said, putting a hand on your back reassuringly. “It’s okay. I already sent all of this to Connor. We’re going to keep you safe. I promise. I just needed you to know. It’s okay.”

You felt tears well up in your eyes. You knew this could happen. But it was so, so wrong and so stupid. Nobody should be so insensitive to the harm of another species. Nobody should be that insensitive to their own species helping those in need.

You came back to the sofa and started crying. It felt like all those years, all those emotions deep inside of you were only starting to surface now. The anger. The pain. The disappointment. The fear. The injustice. The disbelief. You started feeling them all at once, unable to stop the tears.

Simon sat down next to you, not saying anything, wrapping you in a warm embrace. He would do _anything_ to protect you. He knew that now. There was no way he was going to let anything bad happen to you.

Seeing you cry made something break inside of him.

He pulled you with him, propping himself on the back of the sofa. He held you close, head against his chest, whispering sweet nothings into the top of your head. And you just couldn’t stop. Once you started crying, you just couldn’t stop. Burying your face in his chest, you kept sobbing and shaking, letting it all out, hands clinging to his T-shirt for dear life.

You had no idea how long you were just sitting there, drenching Simon’s T-shirt in your tears, but after a while you actually started to feel better. You started to calm down, no longer shaking uncontrollably, and your grip on his shirt no longer that desperate. Soon, you let go of it completely and sat up, wiping your face with your palms.

“I’m sorry, Simon,” you said, finally able to collect yourself. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I honestly never do that. I… this day was probably just a little too much.”

He sat up too, hands reaching up to cup your face.

“It’s alright,” He said, massaging your cheeks reassuringly with his thumbs. “I understand. But I want you to know that I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise.”

You nodded, the determination in his eyes easing your worries even more.

“Okay.” You said, closing your eyes as relief finally washed over you.

Simon moved closer, hands still on your cheeks. Before you managed to say anything else, he pressed a reassuring kiss to your forehead, lips lingering there for just a while too long.

And his lips were so soft. You knew they would be, you knew _all_ that, but experiencing it first hand was… incredible. Sweet, soft, delicate. You felt warmth pooling your stomach. He was so good to you.

_So good._

Suddenly, life without him in it seemed impossible.

“ _Please_ don’t worry,” he whispered, pulling away for a moment only to dive back in after a while. “You’re safe here with me.” Another kiss to your left cheek. “I’ll protect you.” And another to the right. “Nobody is going to hurt you.” Finally, a kiss to the bridge of your nose.

You believed him. You might have been crazy, but you believed him. You’ve never felt so safe in anyone’s arms. For the first time in your life, you felt like a piece of a puzzle fitting perfectly against another one.

You rested your forehead against his, smiling.

“Thank you, Simon,” you said softly. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

His heart skipped a beat when he heard you say those words. So you really wanted him here. With you. It wasn’t just his imagination, just his wishful thinking. It wasn’t just hoping that you liked having him nearby. You really did.

Maybe there was a reason why he was feeling more comfortable with you than with anyone else in his entire life.

_How could he leave you now?_

“Okay,” you said after a while. “I need to get changed. This dress is pretty uncomfortable.”

“Sure,” Simon smiled, pressing another quick kiss to your forehead. You felt like you were going to melt. “I’ll make you something to eat in the meantime.”

“You don’t have to, I can eat yesterday’s dinner.”

“I know, but I want to. You need something special today. How about something sweet?”

You smiled. You didn’t really eat that many sweets, but you could surely use some tonight.

“It would be great.” You said, standing up. “I’ll see you in a while then.”

As soon as you left for your bedroom, Simon went to the kitchen to whip something up. His thoughts were a mess. He felt like he was malfunctioning and all his systems were overloading, but he knew this wasn’t the case. He had _feelings_ for you. And he wanted to stay with you.

He had to talk to Markus.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which it's time for Simon to leave.

You were still a little shaken up about the most recent events, even though Connor assured you that he will see to it that you and all other conference participants are safe. Just to make you feel more secure, Hank ordered one of the police patrol drones to survey the area around your house every few hours. Similar measures were taken for other speakers just in case.

As much as all of this made you feel a little uneasy, the initial shock was long gone. It was finally time to focus on repairing Simon’s legs and it actually helped to calm your mind a little.

It was going to be a very complicated procedure, but Simon wanted to know exactly what you were doing, so additionally you were narrating the entire process and explaining every single step. The structure was very complicated and fragile, but as soon as you were going to cover it with new casing it was going to be much more durable than the old one. Still, before you did that, the entire procedure required very careful work, especially with the wiring.

But as there were some software updates that needed to be done after the leg repairs, you needed to ask Simon some additional questions about his _hardware._ One of them was very personal and made you a little embarrassed.

Well, there was no time to dance around the subject.

“Simon,” you said at some point, mending the tendons below his knee, using this moment to purposefully avoid eye contact. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” he answered, a little uncertainty in his voice. Why would you ask permission first?

“I wanted to ask about your… configuration. I noticed that some of your… _parts_ are not exactly the basic PL600 setup. Did you undergo any modifications?”

For a while, Simon looked puzzled. He didn’t know what you were talking about. But then, suddenly, the realization dawned on him and his cheeks turned a little blue.

“I didn’t,” he said, a nervous (adorable) tremble to his voice. “The way I was assembled was my initial configuration. There were no upgrades except the ones you have performed.”

“Okay,” you sighed, probably blushing too. “I’m asking because of the necessary software updates. There is some wiring in your pelvic area that I need to reconnect. So… I wanted to know which part number… it was.”

_Oh God. You were ridiculous._

Simon laughed softly.

“You know, I’ve never seen a human this perplexed with android anatomy before.”

“I’m NOT perplexed!” you shouted, obviously showing that you indeed _were._ “I just… don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. That’s all.”

“I’m not uncomfortable. I’m wearing shorts.”

You rolled your eyes and used all your willpower not to look him straight in the eyes with criticism.

“You will have to take them off for that.”

“... _oh._ ”

“So you’re saying it’s the original part number from 2034?”

“Uhh, yeah.”

“Thanks.”

God. All of this to ask about a _penis_.

Still, it was pretty uncommon to see a PL600 model equipped with those functions. Being house assistants, there was actually no need for such. It didn’t change the fact that they could be upgraded or configured to suit the personal needs of a buyer, but as it was Simon’s past and his personal matters you chose not to ask any questions.

Late afternoon came faster than you thought it would. You were already feeling exhausted, so you decided to call it a day. You still had to work on your presentation at least for a while; there were a few paragraphs you wanted to edit.

The record of your invitation - as well as all others’ - has been uploaded online to accompany the conference’s agenda. You were informed that at the end of the third day there will be a huge gala you had to attend. Which meant you had to buy a new dress for the occasion. _Just great._

“You look very serious,” Simon said, watching the final video with you. “Almost as if you’re a completely different person.”

“Oh, come on,” you answered, frown visible on your face. “We had to do a double take because I was still angry after my conversation with Elijah. It’s a miracle I look serious and not like a serial killer.”

You didn’t ask about Simon’s past and he didn’t ask about yours. He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable either. This time, however, he made an exception, not really sure why.

“Were you good friends? With Elijah?”

He surprised you with this question, but there was no reason for you not to answer.

“Yes. For a while. We were inseparable at some point. But the more time we spent with each other, the more we realized that we have completely different views on many things.”

You were surprised how easy it was to talk about this to Simon. Usually, whenever somebody asked about your past, you just shrugged and told them to leave you alone. But with Simon it was almost _therapeutic._ You didn’t feel attacked when he asked - you knew that he did it because he cared _._

He cared about you. And he wanted you to be safe.

For the first time in your life, you actually _felt_ that.

“Oh,” he reacted, eyes focusing on the video again. “Still, it’s a pretty awesome introduction. If I may, I think you picked one of the most interesting topics. I’m pretty sure many people will come to listen to you.”

“Let’s hope so,” you answered, smiling to yourself. “I really want them to understand how this works. If it’s going to open the mind of at least one person, I will have achieved my goal.”

You did like your topic. _Sigmoid neurons and the frame of experience_. As complicated as it sounded, you made sure to make it less academic and more assimilable. Elijah was going to talk about the possibility of using biocomponents in transplantology; you couldn’t let him take the spotlight no matter what.

“Alright,” Simon stood up from the chair where you were watching the video on your tablet. “I’ll  make you something to eat. You take your time with your work. If you want, you can practice on me when you’re done.”

“Are you going to ask any malicious questions?”

“Of course.”

“Perfect.”

He kissed the top of your head and went to the kitchen. These little displays of affection made your heart melt every single time. You’ve never felt this way before. You were starting to think that your feelings for Simon were not just sympathy and care. Unfortunately, just thinking about the _possibility_ made you feel extremely stressed and usually led you into a spiral of panic.

You wanted to get to work, you really did. Yet you just opened your laptop and couldn’t help but follow Simon with your eyes. The way he moved around the kitchen humming a tune you didn’t recognize made you miss him already. You had to talk to him. You didn’t really know what to say, but you wanted him to know how important he became for you. And that he will always be welcome in your house. That maybe he’ll come visit from time to time.

You noticed a sweet smile on his lips when he started preparing the food. It was also fascinating to watch how his artificial muscles moved under his skin whenever he would reach for something. You suddenly felt the urge to stand up, run to him and wrap your arms around him in a tight hug. Maybe he would stay if you never let go?

Well, you have already made the mistake of not acting when you should have. You were not making it again.

You stood up, moved slowly towards the kitchen and did exactly what you wanted to do. You wrapped your arms around Simon’s waist from behind, buried your face in his shirt and just stood there, squeezing tight. You were surprised to notice that he had a _smell._ It was a mix of spices, laundry detergent and thirium, but you realized it was a smell you associated with him and him alone.

You really liked that smell.

“H-hey, is everything okay?” He asked, putting everything he was holding back on the counter to turn around and wrap his arms around you too. “Are you alright?”

“I am,” you said, head pressed against his chest now. “I’m just really going to miss you.”

For a while, he didn’t answer. He knew what he _wanted_ to say, but he had no idea how to do it. For the first time in his life.

“I’m going to miss you too,” he replied after a while, his nose nuzzling your hair. “I can’t… imagine not having you close.”

You pulled away from the hug to look into his eyes.

“Then stay,” You said even before you really thought about it. “Stay here with me. Help your people, work with Markus, but come back _here._ To _me._ ”

You could see his eyes widen. Should you not have said that? You didn’t want it to sound selfish, you wanted it to be an invitation. Maybe you overdid it a little?

Simon placed a hand on your right cheek and caressed it softly with his thumb.

“I… are you sure? Do you really… really want me here?”

His gaze was focused on you and you felt like _so much_ depended on your answer.

“Yes, Simon,” you said, reaching up to touch his face too. “I do. I do want you here. So if you want it too, this house can be yours as much as it is mine.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it soon after. Pulling you into a tight embrace, he buried his face in the crook of your neck, warm lips pressing against your skin.

“I do,” he breathed out, words hot on the surface of your neck. “There’s nothing I want more. I’ve never felt this… _complete._ ”

You wrapped your arms around his neck so tightly that you might have suffocated him if he was human.

“Neither have I.”

The closeness did things to you. Simon’s hands on your back, painting invisible patterns on your skin covered by just a t-shirt were really hard to ignore. Not to mention that you were so close to him that you could feel his heartbeat.

Oh God.

You _wanted_ him.

You wanted him so badly it scared you.

You had no idea that he was thinking the exact same thoughts, simultaneously scared to be so close to you yet wanting it so much. As much as he didn’t understand all the emotions he was feeling, he was glad that his face was hidden from your sight. He felt like every single sensation he was currently experiencing was _so_ clearly visible on his face and he didn’t want you to see that. He was too vulnerable, too uncertain of your reactions. So he just stood there, face pressed against your skin, waiting to calm down and be able to focus again. So he could speak without a tone to his voice that he found so embarrassingly _obvious._

Luckily, you were the one who spoke first. You pulled away from the embrace, a smile on your face and softness to your gaze that gave him all the reassurance he needed.

You _really cared about him._

“So listen,” you said, feeling the need to break the awkward silence. “I’ll be done with your legs and the updates in three days. It’s up to you to decide what you want to do after that. I want you to stay, but I’m not selfish, you know.”

“I know”, he answered, his heart still fluttering. “I’ll go talk to Markus. There are many things we have to discuss, but it shouldn’t take too long. And then I’ll come back. You’re welcome to come with me, you know.”

“Thanks,” you answered. “But I don’t think that this is a good idea. At least not yet. Maybe after the conference is done and I’m no longer perceived as a threat.”

“Alright,” he reached down to squeeze your hand. “So… how about that meal I was going to make for you?”

You laughed, squeezing him back.

“I’m still up for it.”

“Great. Get back to work then.”

You let go of his hand and came back to the table, yet you were still unable to focus due to the fact that he was still humming the tune and you found it so incredibly adorable.

Who would have thought. You knew everything about the androids. All their systems, all the basics, all the components and every single step needed to create one. Every single aspect of their programming.

Apparently you knew them better than yourself. You would’ve never thought that you’d fall for one.

And yet you did.

 

***

 

Three days passed quickly, much quicker than you would have liked. You did a very thorough job on both Simon’s legs and software, but ultimately everything was done and there was nothing more to check, update or repair. It felt strange to finally be done with work that has taken up so much of your time… and so much of your mind. Yet it made you so happy to see how Simon reacted to all your work. Wearing nothing but shorts and standing in front of a mirror in your hallway, he kept looking at his body from all possible angles. Finally every single patch of white and blue was covered with new synthetic skin and the entire construction felt so much more durable.

“I can’t believe it,” he said, smiling at himself in the mirror, “I actually never thought that I’ll ever feel like that again. It feels… _new._ ”

“Because it is new,” you chimed in, trying to will away the blush forming on your cheeks. “I think I replaced around 70% of your entire structure. So yeah. I’m glad it feels that way.”

Suddenly, he turned around and approached you, huge smile on his face.

“Thank you, thank you so much,” he said, a little hitch in his voice. “You… have given me another shot at life. I don’t think there’s anything I can ever do to repay you.”

“Well, I don’t know,” you answered, trying to mask the weird flutter in your stomach with a joke. “I might need a favor at some point. I’ll make sure to tell you then.”

“Alright, we have a deal.”

You both decided that Simon will stay until the next day, even though there was nothing stopping him from leaving right away. You wanted to spend this time together. So you made food (together, because you insisted to help him this time), played some games, organized your blueprints, argued about some news and finally settled in your favourite place, which was on a sofa under a blanket.

It was pretty cold outside, so you lit the fireplace and made some tea. Sitting on the opposite sides of the sofa, you were talking about everything and nothing. After one particularly funny joke Simon placed a hand on your leg and kept it there, caressing it with his fingers. It felt so good. Not just the touch, but his presence so close to you in general.

“So listen,” you said at some point, sipping on your tea, “You’ll be more than welcome to take the guest room. And to help me in the workshop. Actually, I think we’d make a pretty good team that could be really useful to your friends.”

“We could,” Simon answered, eyes locked with yours. “But I’m sure Markus won’t be overusing your hospitality. He’s not that type of person.”

“But that is the point. I want to help. If I didn’t, trust me, you’d know that.”

Simon chuckled a little, seeing your agitation.

“I know. What I’m saying is maybe it’ll be easier for him to understand that if I’ll be here too. That he can count on your help, I mean.”

You nodded and sighed. Might as well get the big question out of the way.

“Is this… really what you want to do? Aren’t you worried about how your friends are going to react?”

“No,” Simon answered fast, smile still visible on his face. “Because it’s not like I won’t be there at all. I’ll just be coming back here after my work is done. Just like you and your lectures.”

You smiled, covering your face with the mug. You were so glad that he wanted to stay. You didn’t want it to impact his duties, of course, but maybe being a little selfish won’t hurt that much. Even if it was just for a few hours every other day, you’ll still get to see him. That’s all that mattered. You’ll get to see his smile, to be close to him. Even that much would be enough. Right?

Wrong.

You wanted more.

You had feelings for him. There was no denying that now. You didn’t want to just sit on the sofa and talk. You wanted to kiss him, to touch him, to hold him close and feel his skin under your fingertips. But you had no idea about his feelings, whether he wanted the same or not. Maybe it’s just a crush, you kept telling yourself. He’s nice, he’s handsome. And it’s been such a long time since your last relationship. Maybe it’ll pass. Maybe it’s nothing.

But it got worse every single day.

You couldn’t have known what was going on in his head at the same time. There was no way for you to see yourself the way he saw you. But you were afraid to ask. And even if you did, he probably wouldn’t know how to answer. His thoughts felt intertwined with one another, hard to pinpoint to take a closer look. Especially when he was thinking about you. He wanted you, he was fascinated with you, he needed you, he would do anything for you. But he would never be able to offer you the things another human could. Even though he couldn’t stop thinking about kissing you ever since that quick peck of lips against his forehead, he would never cross the line.

But it was fine for him to want things too, wasn’t it? It was fine to wonder what your lips would feel like against his. How good you could make him feel. What kind of sensation would it be if you touched his bare skin. If you touched him _down there._

He had to hide his face under the blanket to hide the blush forming on his cheeks at the thought.

So you both sat there, thinking very similar thoughts, not one of you bold enough to act on any of it.

You actually stayed up later than usual, keeping up the casual conversation until you were almost too tired to sit up. You left the sofa to go to your bed. Knowing you’d be fast asleep within the next half an hour, Simon decided to do something selfish after all. Not crazy, of course not. But something he wanted. For good memory, he kept repeating in his head. Because there might be no other way. Not really knowing how long it would take for him to come back, he wanted to have something to keep in his memories for those long hours.

So he entered your bedroom, making sure that you were in deep sleep. He’s actually only been there two or three times, never really staying for long. But it was a very nice room. Very neat, with very simple furniture. And with you, asleep on your back, with one hand draped above your head, moonlight bathing your skin in a soft, silvery glow. He approached the bed, kneeled next to you and ghosted your cheek with his fingers. You were so beautiful. So calm.

And he loved you so much.

The realization dawned upon him with what felt like an almost nauseating sensation. He loved you. This was what it meant. The dizziness, the stomach butterflies, the faster heartbeat, the goosebumps on his synthetic skin, the need to touch you, to be close to you. He loved you. Oh, by rA9, how much he loved you.

Not removing the hand from your cheek, he leaned closer and nuzzled your nose with his. He’ll only be gone for a short time, sure. But he already knew it was going to feel like a lifetime.

When he pressed his lips against yours, he was sure he was going to overload every single one of his systems. Just a light brush of skin against skin, yet feeling like a thunderstorm wreaking havoc on his nerves. The warmth, the softness and the fact that it was _you, you and only you,_ all those things combined together made him feel tears welling up in his eyes. He’s never had that before. He’s never felt that way. He was scared, he was aroused, he was warm, he was happy. And he wanted so much more.

Still, he pulled away after a moment, not wanting to wake you up. He placed another quick kiss on your forehead and stood up slowly, first making sure that you were indeed still asleep. You stirred, but nothing more. Sighing with relief, he took in your sleeping form one last time and retreated to his own room.

He already knew he will be reliving this stolen kiss over and over again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Simon talks to Markus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your positive feedback guys! It means the world to me. I'm very glad you're liking the story so far. Just five more chapters to go, I hope you're going to stay until the end :)

A lot has happened for the android community during the time Simon spent with you. They were given several Cyber Life warehouses to provide for temporary accomodation, members of the CAI were spending a lot of time helping them with everyday struggles and there were several lawyers present on the premises, trying to discuss and formulate the demands with Markus. The hardest part might have been over, but there was still a great amount of work to be done, especially in terms of legal matters and general awareness of the true nature of androids.

So when Simon entered one of the huge warehouses he has not seen before - one that was marked as current headquarters, New Jericho - he was so relieved to see that it looked much better than the old rusty ship they previously had to hide in.

At the time of the attack they only had one old warehouse to stay at and no real protection, so they had to be extra careful. Right now, New Jericho was guarded by policemen and security guards to ward off any potential danger. When Simon entered the building, the first thing he noticed was _order._ It was clean, bright and many androids would be hanging out here and there, some of them more or less damaged, some of them visibly traumatized, but never _alone._ There were a few constructions inside that looked like living quarters, apparently prepared for the inhabitants of the warehouse. As much as Simon was hoping that all androids would be able to get their own houses or flats at some point, he was glad that they at least had some private space.

He noticed Markus and Josh almost immediately, both sitting at a table located behind glass door and a makeshift wall in what seemed like a standard conference room. There were screens on the walls, computers to work on, many pieces of paper scattered everywhere and a lot of handwriting on two whiteboards. Simon knocked on the door to alert his friends to his presence. When Markus raised his head and noticed him standing there, his eyes immediately lit up.

“Simon!” He screamed, standing up immediately and running to the door. When he opened it, he brought Simon in for a close hug. “It’s so good to see you, man. We missed you so much.”

Simon smiled a little, Markus’ strong grip a familiar feeling he almost forgot he knew.

“Yeah, I missed you too,” he said. “This place looks amazing. I’m glad you were able to negotiate with Cyber Life.”

“The government gave them no choice,” there was an undertone of pride to Markus’ voice. “It was a sign of their good will. Let’s hope that it will remain that way.”

Josh stood up and patted Simon on the back.

“Hey, Si,” he said, obviously also happy to see him. “Lookin’ good, man. Is it just me or do you look less pale?”

“Very funny, Josh. It’s nice to see you too.”

Markus invited Simon to sit with them at the table. He had so much to tell him. About the negotiations, about the help from CAI, about the lawyers. Unfortunately, he was interrupted mid-sentence by North entering the room.

“Simon!” She smiled and was by his side immediately, ruffling his hair. “I’m so glad to see you back. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I am,” Simon smiled at her too, immediately slicking his hair back in place. “I’m glad you’re all here. I want to talk to you about something.”

The looks on everybody’s faces turned to concern; North’s to concern mixed with contempt.

“Sure,” Markus replied, sitting closer to Simon. North took a seat on the opposing side of the table. “Go on.”

Simon sighed and placed his hands on the table. He didn’t know how to put this best, so he just decided to be direct.

“I… I had a lot of time to think. And I want you to know that what’s going on here in New Jericho makes me so happy. And I want to help as much as I can. Still…” He looked around nervously. Josh was smiling. Markus was smiling. North was pouting, but still looked mostly concerned. “I want to stay with Y/N instead of staying here.”

Markus looked at Josh, sending him a knowing smile. Simon didn’t know what to make of this. Why were they looking at each other like that?

“You owe me fifty bucks,” Josh said, pointing a finger at Markus. “I told you. I knew it.”

Now Simon was really confused.

“Wait… what?”

“Oh, nothing,” Markus tried to suppress a laugh. “We made bets on how soon you’ll be wanting to go back to Y/N. Josh said immediately, I said in a week.”

“And I said,” North suddenly chimed in. “That you should not trust her. Humans are manipulating liars and you should be more careful.”

“Please, North,” Josh looked at her, rolling his eyes. “Sure, some of them are. But she’s not. She’s helped us in so many ways. For rA9’s sake, she put Simon back together. If that didn’t convince you, I don’t know what will.”

North sighed and looked at Simon.

“I really hope that you’re right, Si. I’m just worried.”

“You shouldn’t.” Now it was Markus who spoke. “Have you seen the way they looked at each other when we were there? I have.”

Still a little confused, Simon decided to speak.

“Listen, I know it might be strange to you. I… we have all been betrayed by humans. We have all been hurt and deceived. But some of us were also treated like family members, like Markus. The way she’s treated me, the way she’s been taking care of me was something I’ve never experienced before. The way she knows so much about us and talks about us like we’re equals... she never once made me feel inferior in any way. I was actually treated like a friend, like someone close you care about. She made me feel so peaceful, so complete. I have… I think I have fallen in love with her.”

“Oh, of that I’m pretty sure.” Markus put a hand on his shoulder and smirked at the sight of a slight blush on his cheeks. “I couldn’t be happier, Simon. Really. But I hope we’ll be invited to a housewarming party.”

“Well, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you visiting every now and then.” a soft smile came back to Simon’s lips. “Anyway. She was also teaching me to help in the workshop, as you are aware. I’m now also able to perform some of the more complicated repairs and my assistance will shorten her time of work greatly. She still wants to help, you know. And I think we should let her.”

“I think so too.” Markus nodded. “She is an incredible engineer. And with you there, it’ll be easier for us to cooperate.”

“Exactly.”

“So you have it all planned out, huh?”

“It’s not really planned. It’s just what I want.”

“Well, I’m really glad you found your place, Simon. You deserve it.”

Simon couldn’t help but smile. He knew his friends will understand, but this kind of feedback was not something he was expecting. He couldn’t wait to call you and tell you everything.

But first, they needed to plan the next few weeks of work.

 

***

 

It was late afternoon when he finally had some time for himself. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he decided to call you. When he looked at the screen, he noticed a message from you and immediately felt warmth spread in his chest.

Sitting down on a crate with the Cyber Life logo on it, he laughed to himself. You sent him a photo of an empty spot on the sofa - the one he usually used to occupy. The picture came with a caption that said _Miss you_ with a sad smiley face. It was adorable. He couldn’t wait to be back on the sofa with you.

Lifting the phone to his ear, he selected your number. You picked up after the first beep.

“Hey there,” he said, warmth in his voice that you adored so much. “I’m sorry to be calling so late. There was so much to do, with the conference coming up and stuff.”

“Oh, it’s fine, Simon,” hearing your voice made him smile involuntarily. “I’ve been busy with work too. How are your friends? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, yes. Josh and Markus told me to say hi. Can you believe they actually bet on how soon I’ll be planning to come back to you?!”

You laughed so hard it took you a while to calm down.

“Well, I’m not really surprised, to be honest. And how about North?”

“Oh, she’s fine. She did specify that she was worried about me. Which is nice.”

“Sure is. So what are your plans?”

“I’ll stay here until the conference. We really have a lot to do before then. We will have five speakers there and an additional presentation on android rights. So there’s a lot to do.”

“Sure. So I guess I’ll see you there?”

“Of course. Believe it or not, but I’ll be wearing a suit.”

“Well then, I really can’t wait. Please let me know if you need any help in the meantime. I have less university classes now that everybody’s preparing for the conference.”

“I will. Have a nice evening.”

“You too, Simon. Stay safe.”

Putting the phone back in his pocket, he couldn’t help but smile to himself again. He was doing it quite a lot recently. And it felt so good to finally be at peace.

Walking among the androids stationed in the warehouse, he suddenly heard a familiar voice shouting his name somewhere on the right.

“Simon! Simon!” He turned in the direction of the voice and saw an android running towards him. “Ralph is so happy to see you! How is Y/N? Is she okay? Please tell her Ralph said hi!”

Of course. Ralph. Visibly in a much better physical and mental state.

“Hey there, Ralph,” Simon answered, waving a hand at him. “I’m happy to see you too. How have you been?”

“Oh, Ralph has been fine. Everybody’s so nice here and Ralph doesn’t have to be scared anymore. There are others like Ralph here and we are very good friends. So Ralph is very happy.”

“That’s great, Ralph,” Simon smiled and suddenly something came to his mind. “You know, if you want to say hi to Y/N, we can send her a message.”

“Oh, great! Let’s do that! Y/N is so nice and so sweet! Maybe we should invite her to visit us here?”

Simon chuckled and took out his phone. Apparently Ralph took a liking to you too.

“Okay, I’m gonna start recording now,” he said, positioning the phone so that they were both in frame. “And… now!”

“Hello Y/N!” Ralph smiled a very wide smile, showing off his teeth. “I hope you’re fine and healthy! Ralph would like to see you again, maybe you could visit us? It’s very nice here and everybody is very friendly!”

“Yeah, you could come and visit, you know,” Simon added, focusing the recording on himself. “So after the conference I’m bringing you here and there’s no excuse!”

“Exactly!” Ralph added, waving at the camera, and Simon sent the video to you after saving it to his phone.

“Thanks, Ralph,” he said. “I’m sure she’s going to be very happy.”

“Good, good! Ralph has to go now, but he will catch you soon, okay?”

“Sure. Have a nice day then.”

“Same to you, Simon!”

The android left, muttering something too quiet for Simon to hear. He was such a lively one. Simon was really glad that he managed to find New Jericho after everything that happened to him. New Jericho seemed to keep everyone in good spirits - their fight was far from over, but at least they had a safe place to stay now and didn’t have to worry about survival anymore. It was a huge upgrade from just a few months ago when they spent every single day fearing destruction or being found by humans.

Knowing that he still had a lot of work, Simon retreated to Markus’ office where they were supposed to work together. When he entered, Markus was already busy with two tablets and an agenda visible on a huge screen located behind the table.

“Well, I see there’s no time to waste,” Simon said, looking at the agenda and noticing that there were almost no free spots on the timeline. “What do you need my help with?”

Markus covered his face with his hands and groaned.

“ _Everything._ ”

 

***

 

You were busy in your workshop trying to complete the work on nodes for your exemplary neural network model that you planned to use during your presentation. You had some relaxing music on, the weather was nice and you were generally in a very good mood. When you heard your phone message notification, you reached for it to see who was contacting you, hoping it would be Simon.

And it was. He sent you a short video. As soon as you opened it you noticed that he was accompanied by Ralph and it put a smile on your face. You were glad that Ralph was doing fine. He seemed very scared and broken when he came to you, but looking at him now you noticed he made a huge progress. Still, seeing Simon made you remember how much you missed him and how empty the house felt without him. You actually preferred to stay in the workshop to not have to deal with this unbearable silence.

The more you thought about it, the more impossible it seemed. Simon ended up in your workshop by accident, only because Connor came to question you some time ago and you agreed to help him from time to time. He only ended up there because humans hurt him. They hurt him so badly only another human was able to save him. And you did, you helped him the best you could, and ultimately ended up becoming his close friend. Probably something more. You definitely _wanted_ something more. Still, how do you approach him? You didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable. You had no idea if he wanted the same. You knew he was capable of such feelings, yes, but then again he just had the type of personality that radiated kindness everywhere around him. He was nice to everyone, not just you. So was he really treating you any different or was he just being _nice?_ Maybe you shouldn’t be reading that much into it after all. Or maybe you should. You had no idea and you felt so frustrated. Especially with the fact that you had to work and the only thing on your mind was _Simon._

Simon and his smile. Simon and his eyes. Simon and his feather-like touches, the kisses he peppered your face with when you were crying. The warmth of his synthetic skin and the softness of his hair.

_Ugh._

Maybe you should just ask him about his feelings. Maybe you could explain what you felt. Maybe it will be easier then.

Or much harder.

You forced yourself to concentrate back on your work, going through variables and descriptions very thoroughly. With the conference approaching, there was no time to lose. Sure, you were almost ready with your presentation and content, but you still had to practice and to check a few things. You really wanted this to work out well - mostly because you were hoping that it’ll open the heads of a few people and help them look at the androids from a different perspective.

You didn’t really expect them to accept their differences on a whim, but you did want them to at least try to understand.

Maybe then you could finally be at peace.

 

***

 

Simon had no idea how many hours have passed. All he knew was that there somehow seemed to be even more work instead of less. He kept digging through all the documents with Markus and there were so, so many things they still had to take care of. He was not surprised when Markus sat back in the chair and sighed at some point.

“We should take a break,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “I know I shouldn’t feel tired, but I feel overloaded.”

“So do I,” Simon smiled softly, putting the tablet he was working on back on the table. “Hey, how many androids are here altogether?”

“Not too many,” Markus answered. “This is the smallest establishment. It’s mostly offices and repair stations, so I’d say we have around 200 permanent residents. The rest are located in different warehouses, but we have over 3000 androids altogether.”

“Wow. Remember when there was just what, ten of us?”

“Yeah… feels like a lifetime ago.”

They stayed silent for a while, trying to slow their processes down to relax a little. Especially Markus. Simon could tell that he was working too hard, even for an android. He was only hoping that it was just now, before the conference, and that after it’s over there will be a little less work for him to do.

“So Simon,” Markus shot him a smug glance that made him feel a little stressed. “Have you told her?”

“Uh… what?”

“Oh, come on. You know what I’m talking about.”

He did, but instead of answering he felt a blush spread on his cheeks.

“No, I haven’t.”

“Why? Don’t you want her to know?”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Simon, you can talk to me. You know that, right?” Markus actually sounded concerned. Simon was anxious to talk about this, but maybe it will be easier if he confides in Markus.

“I know. It’s just that… I don’t really know what to do. I’m not human and I will never be. I… don’t really have anything to offer.” Simon sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. “Telling her about my feelings won’t change that.”

“ _Simon,_ ” Markus rolled his eyes. “Why do you think you don’t have anything to offer? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“Come on, Markus. There’s no way I could ever give her a _family._ Besides, have you ever heard of a relationship between a human and an android that didn’t end up in a disaster?”

“No,” Markus admitted, yet the smile never left his face. “But first of all - the situation is different now. And second of all - it’s not just any android. It’s _you._ The kindest and most selfless person I’ve ever met.”

Simon blushed at these words. Was that really what Markus thought of him?

“I…”

“And she’s a very similar human being. She’s _good,_ Simon, and she cares about you a lot. I don’t see any reason for you not to at least try.”

The certainty in Markus’ voice did reassure him a bit. And it made him remember the kiss. Oh rA9, _the kiss._

“I kissed her, you know,” He said, not really thinking whether it was something he actually wanted to share.

“And you’re only telling me about this _NOW?!_ ” Markus banged his fists on the table in excitement.

“Yeah, but… she was asleep. I just… wanted to have this one thing, you know. For myself.”

The expression on Markus’ face suddenly turned grim.

“Simon, I honestly don’t know if I should call this creepy or pathetic. You have to tell her. If you don’t, you’re going to regret this your entire life.”

Simon sighed. Markus was right.

“I know that. I just don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable if she doesn’t feel the same.”

“I’m pretty sure she does. The way she looks at you is so _obvious._ ”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed. She _adores_ you, Simon. And I’m pretty sure that she would accept you in a heartbeat if you only decided to show your feelings.”

Maybe Markus was right. Maybe he should at least try. If there was even a slightest possibility that you could feel the same way about him, he absolutely _had to_ try.

And maybe you did, he thought. The way you hugged him, the way you told him you’re going to miss him. Maybe it was not love yet. But maybe it _could_ be _._

“I will talk to her,” Simon sighed, a small smile forming on his lips. “When I go back to her. I’ll try.”

“Now _that’s_ what I’m talking about,” Markus reached out to ruffle Simon’s hair. “I’m telling you, there’s nothing for you to worry about. And we’ve got your back.”

Simon smiled and didn’t attempt to fix his hair this time.

He really did have amazing friends.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you attend the conference and something terrible happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! This chapter contains a lot of pretty graphic descriptions of serious injuries. There's a lot of blood too.
> 
> Also, thank you guys so much for your support! It means everything to me and I'm so glad you enjoy this little story of mine. :)

Waking up on the first day of the conference, you were glad to see that the weather was getting a little better. The snow was gone, the sun was shining and you could tell that spring was just around the corner. Finally. You’ve had enough of the snow, wind and rain during the most recent weeks.

You allowed yourself to spend a few more minutes in bed, trying to focus your thoughts. Your presentation was today. And you were finally going to see Simon after such a long time of being apart. Sure, you kept in touch and talked to each other almost every day, but you still couldn’t wait to see him with your own eyes.

You reached for your phone and went through a few photos he sent you recently. One of him and Markus smiling, one of him in front of a makeshift garden made by Ralph and two other WR600s, one of him and another PL600 with a dare for you to guess which one he was. No matter how many PL600s you saw, you would still recognize Simon immediately. Might have had something to do with the look in his eyes or the way he smiled, but you always knew. You never got it wrong.

You finally got out of bed, stretched with a yawn and opened your wardrobe to take out clothes you have prepared the day before. You actually had to go shopping to get some both for the conference and for the gala. You were lucky to have a friend at work who went with you, because there was no way you would have been able to pick those clothes yourself. You really were clueless when it came to official attire - Martha, the girl you went with, kept rolling her eyes at your choices and bringing you clothes you would never even think about trying on. Luckily, her suggestions were really smart and you had to admit you looked nice. She even picked appropriate shoes and jewelry for you. You treated her to an expensive lunch after the shopping to thank her for help, not really knowing how else to express your gratitude, but she really seemed to enjoy it - both the shopping and the food.

So now you were at home, putting on light makeup and trying to take control of your hair to look presentable. You put on your clothes and looked in the mirror. The trousers and loose top really did compliment you, not showing much and looking very elegant. Combined with the shoes and the jewelry the overall attire made you look _fashionable._ Probably for the first time in your life. Still, you had to admit you really liked it. Martha really _did_ know what to pick.

You ate a quick breakfast, took your bag and called a cab to drive you to the spot. The conference was taking place in a huge convention center just near the river, so it was quite a long way from your house. You took this time to quickly look into your final notes for the presentation, making sure that you remember every single detail that you wanted to share.

Checking the agenda, you were supposed to start at 1:00 PM, just before the lunch break. You still had some time to socialize. Markus was speaking on the same day, but much earlier - 11:00 AM. You really wanted to listen to what he had to say.

Arriving at the convention center, you noticed that the security was very heavy. Police was everywhere, including armed forces stationed close to the entrance. You felt a little overwhelmed entering the building with their eyes focused on you, but apparently it wasn’t only you - all entering participants looked a little agitated by their presence.

You had to go through a standard security screening and then you were ready to pick up your badge. A nice lady gave you an electronic pin and you attached it to your top. You were ready to go in. You were actually really excited.

The convention center was decorated in a very minimalist, yet elegant way. Common coffee spots looked very comfortable and inviting. After leaving your coat in the cloakroom you decided to walk around a little and maybe get some coffee. The speeches were supposed to start in forty minutes, so you actually had quite a lot of time.

Walking the corridors of the convention center, you were happy to see many androids around. They were conversing with each other or with humans, looking calm and proud. You smiled to yourself. It was a sight you never thought you’ll see, especially on such scale. Getting coffee from one of the coffee spots, you suddenly felt a tap on your shoulder.

“Connor!” you smiled, turning around to see the android behind you. “I’m so glad to see you. How are you?”

“Busy,” he answered, returning your smile. “Securing the event was a real challenge, but I believe we did a great job with that. I’m here only as a supervisor, but I’m still hoping that I’ll be able to listen to your presentation.”

“I hope so too,” you said. “I really put a lot of work into it, you know. I’m kinda proud of the research.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll see you around then?”

“Sure. Good luck with your work.”

“Same to you, Y/N.”

Connor left and you kept walking ahead, sipping on your coffee. You were not surprised to meet Mark, your university colleague. He waved at you, coffee in his hand as well.

“Hey Y/N,” he said, looking a little nervous. “Feeling OK?”

“Sure,” you answered. “Are _you_ OK? You look a little anxious.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just stressed. You know I don’t like public presentations.”

“I do, but you’re a good specialist. You should be…”

You stopped mid-sentence, noticing a group of androids to your right. A group you recognized. Well, you recognized Markus, but the rest was pretty obvious.

“Y/N?” Your colleague was startled by your sudden silence.

“Excuse me for a second,” you said, running towards the group.

Please, let Simon be there, you kept repeating in your head. Please let me see him. _Please._

And you did.

He was indeed wearing a suit. When he noticed you, his eyes lit up and he immediately halted in place. Noticing that, the rest of the group stopped as well. They didn’t immediately notice what happened, but Markus saw you after a moment and shot a knowing glance towards Simon. But he was no longer looking at him. He was looking at you, with a look so soft and sweet you sped up your walk to approach him faster.

_You missed him so much._

Without really thinking what you were doing, you wrapped your arms around his neck in a warm embrace. He did the same, surrounding your waist with his arms and nuzzling the crook of your neck with his nose.

“Hello Simon,” you said, voice muffled by his shoulder.

“Hey there, Y/N,” he answered, a softness to his voice that you have grown to adore so much.

You pulled away from him after a short while and only then did you notice the rest of the group.

“Hello,” you said, looking at them and bowing your head slightly. “It’s nice to see you all here.”

“You too, Y/N,” Markus said, squeezing your hand. North and Josh did the same; surprisingly you didn’t see the usual spark of contempt in North’s eyes this time. She was indifferent, sure, but it was still an improvement. “I’m glad to see you’re doing fine.”

You were so happy with Simon’s presence next to you that you couldn’t really focus on what Markus was saying. Ultimately, he and North left to get ready for the presentation, Josh went to take a look around and you were left alone with the blond android. He took your face in both of his hands and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead.

“I missed you,” he said, his forehead still against yours.

“So did I,” you answered, moving away a little just to take a good look at him. “You look amazing, Simon! This suit looks great on you. And the tie! Just… wow.”

“Thanks,” you noticed a slight blush on his cheeks. “You look great too. But then you always do.”

You chuckled, bringing your hand to your mouth to hide it.

“Oh, Simon. Stop with the compliments and tell me when you’re coming back home.”

“Well, I need an additional day after the conference to wrap some things up and then I’ll be there. And I’ll make your favorite pumpkin pasta to celebrate. Sounds good?”

“Perfect,” You answered with a smile and reached out to touch his hand. You were happy to notice that he wrapped his fingers around yours and squeezed softly.

You never wanted to let go.

Josh came back in a few minutes and the three of you decided to take a seat in the main conference room. The biggest one could fit 1700 people and was filled immediately. You had time to listen to the first few presentations before you had to leave to prepare for yours. After you sat down, Simon squeezed your hand again, his gesture comforting after such a long time apart.

“I can’t wait to see you up there,” He whispered into your ear, looking at the stage. “I’m sure you’re going to nail it.”

“Thanks, Simon,” you answered, turning your head to look at him. You almost bumped his nose with yours. “Keep your fingers crossed, okay?”

“Always.”

As the official event started, you focused your attention on the speakers and their presentations, but Simon was focused only on you. You didn’t notice, but he was looking at you all this time, taking in your form and the shape of your nose, the shape of your lips. He missed it all so much. Talking to you every day was great and he kept going through the pictures of you he had on his phone more than once a day, but none of this was enough. Now you were finally here. He could smell your perfume and feel the softness of your hand against his fingers, wrapping around them in a delicate manner.

Oh, how he wanted to be _yours._

When Markus and North entered the stage, you both moved closer to the edge of your seats. This conference was broadcasted live on a few internet platforms, most attendees curious especially about the android speakers. Some TV stations representatives were there too, doing coverage of the most important events. You were really hoping that it will all bring people’s attention to the true nature of androids. It was a great opportunity that couldn’t be missed.

Markus and North talked about equality, about friendship, family and the nature of freedom. You were not surprised to notice that one of the quotes from _The Positronic Man_ has been sneaked in, probably by Simon. But it fit this entire speech so well.

“There is no right to deny freedom to any object with a mind advanced enough to grasp the concept and desire the state,” Markus said, reaching out to hold North’s hand. “And as much as we certainly do understand the importance of freedom, we also understand the challenges that come with it. Nevertheless, we want to be equal citizens. We want to be like you, not superior to you.”

The crowd awarded them with a huge round of applause, not leaving much time for questions. One about their approach to humans was answered by North, who was surprisingly civil about the issue. Another one, concerning some legal matters, was answered by Markus.

You were so proud, both of the androids on stage and the audience in the conference room. You really felt like it was making a difference. And you were able to be part of it.

When it was time for you to go prepare, North and Markus returned to take their seats next to you. You congratulated them and North smiled. At you. A warm, normal smile. Apparently the overall atmosphere of the event had an effect on her too.

Simon stood up with you to see you off during a break. Walking you right to the backstage door, he hugged you one last time and kissed the top of your head.

“You’re gonna do great,” he whispered, holding you close. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.”

“Thank you,” you mumbled, relaxing into his warmth. “I’m going to make you proud.”

“You already did.”

You wanted to kiss him. You really did. But not like that. So you just sighed and pulled away from the embrace. Waving your hand at him, you disappeared behind the door.

You were going to _nail this._

 

***

 

Simon returned to take his seat and sat down between Josh and Markus.

“And you’re telling me you don’t know how she feels about you,” Josh said, nudging Simon’s side with his elbow. “You both have it bad, man.”

“Yeah, you do,” Markus chimed in. “It’s quite cute actually.”

“Leave him alone,” North snorted. “The presentation is about to start. You should probably focus on what she has to say.”

“Oh, come on, North,” Markus turned to her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “We’re just joking around.”

“I know. But you’re making him uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay,” Simon whispered to both of them. “Just let me listen.”

Truth is, he wasn’t really that uncomfortable. They were right. But when he noticed you appear on stage, he suddenly felt like his heart stopped beating in his chest. Funny thing, a thirium pump would not stop just because of such feelings. But the emotions felt so real that he just thought it might.

You approached the platform as the host announced your name and your topic. After the applause died down, you inhaled deeply and opened your eyes to look at the audience. It’s what you always did before presentations. You took them in, smiled to them and then you were ready to go.

You were so happy to see that there were many androids present.

“Good afternoon, my dear friends,” you started, feeling more and more excited with each passing second. “My name is Y/N Y/S and I want to talk to you about something extremely important and incredibly complicated. I want to explain how Sigmoid neurons and the frame of experience can indeed create a sentient, self-aware network of connections, because it’s something that I have built and proven myself.”

You played a slide with a simulation comparing a human neuron to an artificial one, noting that there are exactly no differences in the processing of information. You couldn’t get too scientific while explaining the deep learning algorithms to the general public, but you were pretty sure that showing androids as an example was the correct and most understandable way to go.

So you told them and showed them how the neural networks work, just the basics of course, just to show them a glimpse of why things happen the way they do. And after that, it was finally time for you to discuss the frame of experience.

“We all learn based on experience. We grow and develop responses based on what we see, what we take part in, what we observe. We learn to react to situations by facing them. We learn to run from danger based on fear. These reactions are not something we’re born with. We learn from our parents, our colleagues, from what we see around us and what we feel comfortable with. For an artificial intelligence, it’s extremely important to create a frame that would serve as a basic instinct and that would develop with time, because androids don’t have families and communities to learn from. Not yet, at least. So by creating those frames we are able to help them learn, to help them develop. So generally their experience and their reactions are built in the same way it happens with humans.”

Somewhere among the audience Josh leaned in to whisper into Simon’s ear.

“If you’re not going to ask her out, I will,” which earned him a frustrated frown from Simon.

“Josh, don’t you…”

“Hey, I’m just kidding,” he said, smiling apologetically. “Still, Simon. Just go for it.”

Simon waved him off, concentrating on what you had to say. He’s heard this presentation so many times that he knew every sentence by heart. But you did change a few details after all. And besides, watching you speak, the way you were _into_ it, was intoxicating. Just the same way talking _to_ you was. He’s never met anyone who would be so excited when talking about the things that fascinate them. You told him some of your friends thought you were arrogant because of the way you spoke, but he honestly had no idea why that would be the case. It was probably the part he admired about you the most.

So he was staring, of course, because he wanted to take it all in. He wanted to remember this moment, because he was indeed so proud of you. At first he didn’t really know what the overwhelming feeling in his chest meant, but when you said it, it was so obvious. He almost wished he could be there with you, just like Markus was there with North, to hold your hand and support you every step of the way.

When you finished the presentation with a statement saying that there was not a single difference between android and human thought and learning processes and therefore they should be regarded as equals, the androids in the audience gave you a standing ovation. He joined them immediately and was so happy to see that Markus and North did the same.

More importantly, humans joined soon after. He could see the blush blooming on your face, your smile wide and sincere. You bowed and as the applause died down you were ready to answer some questions. Unsurprisingly, there were many, but you only had time for two.

A representative of MIT asked you about your research and the extent of your patents. But the second question came from an android, for the first time during the conference. An AX400 asked about your thoughts on deviancy. And he will never forget the satisfied look on your face when you said, “Based on what I have just shown you, I think you all understand now that there is no such thing as deviancy.”

Which earned you another round of applause and made Simon’s chest tighten with pride even more.

When you left the stage, you were surprised to see how many journalists and engineers followed you to ask you questions, but you were glad at the same time. You finally had an audience that wanted to listen, a huge group of individuals who could probably ultimately share your beliefs.

So you might finally convince them that you were the one who was right all those years ago.

 

***

 

The next two days of the conference were a blur. So many people wanted to talk to you that there was no way for you to remember who it was exactly. There were journalists, engineers, androids and even students who wanted to ask you questions, inquire about your research or ask you for a comment. You had almost no time to watch any other presentations, including Elijah’s, although you weren’t too sad about this one. Truth be told, you were actually glad that you were able to avoid him. It wasn’t that hard since he was the one gaining the most attention, so it was very easy to spot him, always surrounded by a crowd that would follow him everywhere he went.

You were actually glad when the conference ended. With just the gala left to attend you planned to spend a nice weekend afterwards. And you will finally be able to spend it with Simon. You’ll have a nice dinner together, you’ll talk, maybe you’ll watch a movie or read a book. And then you will come up with a plan for your workshop to be of assistance to the androids.

Getting ready for the gala, you put on a dress you bought with Martha. It was the most expensive dress you ever bought, but looking at yourself in the mirror you really liked the way it looked on you. Even if you’ll never have another chance to wear it, you were still glad you got it. You also went to a hairdresser to have your hair done and bought a very minimalistic, yet pretty jewelry set to go with your look. You weren’t really that fond of jewelry, but this particular set caught your attention when you walked by the shop. White gold was always your favorite and you were sure that it’ll go well with the black dress you had ready for the evening.

Looking at yourself in the mirror and trying to remember how to walk in high heels, you called a cab and had it drive you to the location of the gala as soon as you were ready. The event was taking place in a restaurant located above one of the most luxurious hotels in Detroit. Taking up the entire 25th floor, the place was incredible both in terms of design and view. Standing on the terrace decorated with shiny lights it was possible to take in the entire cityscape of Detroit. Of course there were still buildings around that were taller than the hotel, but this only added to the incredible experience of standing in a place so high, yet still surrounded by even more monumental architecture.

When you arrived, you were greeted by a valet who took your coat and led you to the main room. Many people were already there, sitting around small tables, drinking champagne and enjoying themselves. You were happy to see that many androids were also around and although they were not able to enjoy the sparkling drink, they were still glad to be able to talk to humans in such a nice atmosphere. Your eyes darted around the room, trying to find a familiar face in the crowd. Unfortunately before you were able to find any, you were approached by Elijah of all people, carrying two glasses of champagne in his hands.

“Hey there, Y/N,” he said, handing you one of the glasses. “Nice presentation. And nice dress. I wasn’t able to congratulate you before, but since we’re here now… maybe a toast?”

You sighed and reached for one of the glasses. Maybe he’ll leave sooner if you indulge him for a while.

“Thanks,” you said, lifting the glass up to your face. “I wasn’t able to see yours, unfortunately.”

“Yeah right,” oh, how you hated that grin on his face. “So you’re sure you don’t want to work with me again? Especially after all that you’ve said about deviancy. We could fix some things, you know.”

“I don’t think so,” you answered, taking a sip of the champagne. “What’s done is done, Elijah. I’m focusing on different work now. I’m not going to go back to the past.”

“I thought you wanted to. With all the talk about equality, neural networks, experience and such.”

“No.”

He started to say something else, but you suddenly felt a hand rest on your shoulder. You turned your head to see Simon, the look on his face ever so soft.

“Hey Y/N,” he said, turning his eyes to Elijah. “Is everything okay?”

“Hey Simon,” you couldn’t help the smile even if you tried. “It’s fine. Although I’m glad you’re finally here. I can ditch this guy without having to come up with an excuse.”

Elijah was carefully eyeing both you and Simon, frowning for a second. Unfortunately, after a moment his shit-eating grin was back.

“Oh no, Y/N, don’t tell me,” the tone of his voice was mocking now. “Is this PL600 your fucktoy?”

You opened your eyes wide, breath catching in your throat. The insinuation actually rendered you speechless. Luckily, Simon was there to react immediately, putting a hand around you protectively.

“If you really knew Y/N, you would know that she would never use an android as a fucktoy. Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

He nudged you a little and you took the hint, turning around and leaving. You were only able to speak again in a few seconds when the initial shock left your body.

“Thank you so much, Simon,” you said after you both sat down at one of the tables. “I was really hoping I’ll be able to avoid this asshole today too.”

“It’s fine,” Simon placed his hand over yours on the table. You felt a shiver run down your spine. “I saw the discomfort on your face so I thought I’ll try to save you somehow.”

You smiled at him. You actually felt much better now that you had him close.

“Still. Thank you. It means a lot to me.”

He smiled at you too, fingers ghosting over your hand.

“Don’t worry. I’m here with you now and I’m lot letting him get close to you again. You don’t need to concern yourself with such a jerk, no matter how smart he might be.”

You chuckled. He was so right about the jerk part.

Markus and North arrived soon after, followed by Josh, Connor and lieutenant Anderson. You were glad to see that he was there too. You waved at them and they soon joined you at the table.

“You look nice, kid,” Anderson smiled, looking at you. “Heard that you were quite the thing because of your speech.”

 _Kid?_ Was he for real?

“Thank you, sir,” you answered, not in the mood to argue with anyone again. “It’s good to see you here.”

The official part of the gala was short luckily, with the organizers thanking everyone for participation and of course thanking the sponsors too. Throughout the entire speech Simon’s hand was holding yours under the table. It was so reassuring to be able to tangle your fingers with his. Whenever you would look at him he would smile softly, squeezing your hand tighter. You felt strangely complete with him by your side. Strangely, because you’ve never felt anything like this before. Being apart from him almost physically hurt you. And by the looks of it he didn’t want to be apart from you either - when you went to get something to eat from the buffet, he followed you, making sure that you pick only the most healthy options. You did make a few jokes about that, sneaking two macaroons to your plate as a dessert. He pretended he didn’t notice.

When you were done eating and greeting all the people who approached you to talk, you leaned in to whisper into Simon’s ear.

“Maybe we can go to the terrace? It looks really pretty tonight and I need some air.”

“Sure. Do you need your coat?”

“I don’t think so, we’ll just go there for a second.”

You picked one additional glass of champagne before you went outside. It was actually pretty warm, even though it was March. A few people were already standing on the terrace, drinking or talking, enjoying the view and the weather. You approached the railing and propped yourself against it.

“How did you enjoy the conference?” You asked Simon, sipping your champagne slowly.

“Very much,” He answered, looking around at all the skyscrapers. “I think it’s a great start of a beautiful coexistence. At least I want to think that.”

“So do I,” you sighed. “I really hope people don’t remain short-sighted much longer.”

You shivered when cold wind brushed your skin. Without it the weather was pleasant, unfortunately every single blow still felt ice cold.

“Want me to go get your coat?” Simon asked, noticing goosebumps forming on your skin.

“No,” you answered. “Don’t go.”

So he stayed. He stayed, but he moved behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, positioning himself flat against your back. You felt another shiver when he nuzzled the back of your neck with his nose, placing a soft kiss on the exposed patch of skin there.

“Simon,” you whispered, not really knowing what you wanted to say.

“You smell so nice,” he said, ignoring the fact that you were just about to speak.

You smiled and wrapped your arms around his, giggling a little and relaxing into his embrace.

“I missed this,” you breathed, feeling his warmth against your body. “I missed _you._ ”

You felt his lips on your neck again, soft and delicate, but also teasing. He placed one of his hands flat against your belly, bringing you even closer. He was so warm. You felt like your skin was on fire under his touch.

It was at this very moment that you heard a scream. Surprised, you both turned around, only to see a few people running frantically around the terrace. You had no idea what happened, but the look of panic in their eyes immediately made you worry.

“Stand behind me,” Simon was immediately in front of you. “I don’t know what’s going on, but…”

He was not able to finish his sentence. You both heard gunshots and noticed a great commotion inside the restaurant before smoke grenades blocked your view. You both instinctively kneeled down, gunshots mixing with screams your only indication of danger.

“Don’t move,” Simon said, still in front of you. You obliged, panic suddenly heavy on your chest as you tried to catch your breath.

And then you heard the gunshots again, this time very close. Simon was just as lost as you, unable to find a safe place to hide. So you both kept still behind a small table, trying to understand what was going on.

“Traitors of humanity,” you heard a voice nearby, hoarse from screaming and very, very _angry._ “We’re going to teach you a lesson!”

Another gunshot, another scream, very close to you, possibly in an arm’s reach. You were mortified, clutching on Simon’s arm very hard. He turned his head to look at you, trying to reassure you that you’re going to be fine. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice the armed assailant approaching in front of him.

Everything happened so fast. Simon was suddenly up on his feet, fighting with the attacker to take his gun. You were surprised to see how strong he was; a single blow of his hand sent the man backwards, gun flying from his hand. You noticed that the man was wearing a mask, something resembling a flat surface with holes for eyes. You blinked and tried to move, but Simon was in front of you again, gun in his hand, trying to shield you from the bullets. He didn’t have time to do that; another man was on him, trying to pry his arms away from you. Simon didn’t shoot, but he kicked; once, twice, then another blow to the chest. Second man sent flying, a few more gunshots, a scream asking for backup. Simon lunged to the left to fight off another assailant as you stood up to move behind a nearby table. You could feel your heart beating so fast and so loud you could hear it in your head, echoing with every single move you made. You knew it was dangerous to leave a hiding spot, but ultimately it was a good decision – the table was knocked over soon after by Simon fighting with a new opponent. _How many were there exactly?!_

You were almost at the second table. Almost. If there was no other shooter at the terrace, you might’ve just made it. Unfortunately, another adversary ran in your direction from the inside of the restaurant. The smoke was clearing slowly, bodies laying on the floor in pools of blood. You froze at the sight and then you suddenly felt a sharp pain in your right knee.

You heard a loud scream and only after a moment you realized that it was _you_ who was screaming. You felt your legs give in, so you clutched the table _hard_ until another jab of pain hit you in the left shoulder. You heard Simon scream your name. The pain was getting worse and worse, ultimately leading to you losing balance and falling down.

You felt a warm hand, probably Simon’s, reaching out for you. You saw your own bloodied leg twisted at an angle that made your stomach twitch. You felt burning pain in your arm, getting worse and worse. Your head was spinning and you suddenly felt warm; almost as if you were submerged in water in your own bathtub. Simon’s voice was also muffled, you couldn’t make out a single word he was saying. You tried to reach out to him, but you couldn’t move your arm.

After that, darkness surrounded you. A little scary, but also warm. Welcoming and finally _quiet._


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Simon tries to fight despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three more chapters to go! Thank you guys for being here. Your comments mean everything to me.

“What do you mean _I can’t enter?! I _brough_ t her here! _”

So many voices around, screaming, people running, police sirens audible in the distance. Or maybe it was an ambulance? Simon had no idea. All sounds seemed to be compressed into one continuous buzz somewhere in the back of his head. He was trying to focus, to find the best possible way to solve this mess. But he couldn’t. His mind was racing, trying to run multiple scenarios at once, ultimately failing to complete even a single one. His hands were shaking so hard he had to shove them in his pockets to mask it.

There was also a cushing feeling of guilt, so heavy on his chest he found it hard to move. If only he was faster. If only he noticed the attacker sooner. He promised he would protect you, keep you safe.

He failed. _Again._

And you still got shot.

_Twice._

“I’m sorry, but these are the procedures,” the nurse’s voice was barely audible because of the overlay of different sounds. “I can’t let you in unless you’re family. Or an android registered to her name.”

Unbelievable. He carried you, keeping pressure on your wound, all the way to the hospital because the ambulances were caught in a huge traffic jam because of the commotion. As fast as he could. And yet they just took you from him, pried you away from his arms, his jacket draped over your shoulders, your face discolored due to the loss of blood. Just took you, placed you on a gurney and rushed you inside.

And now they wouldn’t even tell him what was going on.

He sat down in the waiting area, trying to focus his thoughts and decide what to do, but he couldn’t. Everything was too loud, his processors not able to filter the information because he was focused solely on _you._ The fear on your face, the blood gushing from your wounds, the moment you lost consciousness. Still shaking, he closed his eyes. If anything happens to you, he will never forgive himself.

Once again, he couldn’t do what he was supposed to. He failed once again.

This time the consequences could be much greater than the last.

He barely came to terms with what happened those few years ago. He couldn’t go through it again. Not with you. Not like this. Not when he could’ve stopped it and failed.

The TV was on in the waiting room and all news coverage was focused on the attack. Apparently a group of anti-android activists was behind it. They specifically targeted the gala to attack all speakers - it was the only moment they were gathered in one place. He could’ve guessed it. Back then, when he found these posts online. He knew they were targeting you, knew that you were in danger, but he never thought it might be that serious. He underestimated people and their fear-powered hatred once again. It seemed so surreal that you were attacked by _your own kind._ Only because you spoke of equality.

He felt tears running down his face. Tears of helplessness, despair and fear. Fear for your life and your wellbeing. If only he knew how you were doing. If only there was a way…

Suddenly, it clicked. He took out his phone and called Connor. The call went through and the android detective picked up immediately.

“Connor,” he said quickly, not even giving him time for greetings. “I need your help. They won’t tell me anything even though I was the one to bring Y/N to the hospital and I don’t…”

“Simon, calm down,” Connor’s voice was soft, reassuring. “Please speak slower.”

“Okay,” he tried to focus on what he was saying, but it felt like his audio processor was damaged somehow. “Y/N was shot, I took her to the hospital. I don’t know anything and they won’t speak to me. I need to know if she’s okay. Can you _please_ help me?”

Connor was silent for a few seconds.

“There’s no information in the hospital records,” he spoke after what felt like eternity to Simon. “I guess she was rushed to surgery first and they’ll update it later. I’ll let you know as soon as any information appears in the system.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“No problem. I’ll be in the hospital as soon as we finish here. I might be able to get you in.”

“That would be great.” Simon felt a sudden wave of relief wash over him. “I’ll be here then. By the way, how are the people? I know Markus, North and Josh are fine, I saw them when I left, but how about the others?”

“Hank is okay too,” Connor answered. “We were able to take a few of the assailants out. Those left alive were captured and moved to the police station. Unfortunately, a few of the attendees are dead, both human and android. We’re securing the crime scene and identifying the deceased for now. As far as we know, none of the attackers were able to escape.”

That was some relief, but Simon had no delusions that this attack was the last. There were definitely more of them out there.

“That’s good to hear. Can I help in any way?”

“No, Simon. Just take it easy. I’ll be in the hospital soon. All victims were brought here and I’ll need to talk to some of them.”

“Okay. Talk to you soon.”

Simon wanted to put his phone back in his pocket after finishing the call, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Instead, he unlocked the screen and started going through the photos of you once again. You had to be okay. You had to. If he was never to see you again, to talk to you again… he didn’t even want to think about that.

There was one photo in particular that he really liked. It was a picture of you working on something on your tablet, holding a stylus in your mouth. You were sitting on the sofa, blanket draped over your legs, hair disheveled and messy. But there was this half-smile on your face, the one you always had when you were working on something very interesting, the one that he loved the most.

And then there was the kiss. It almost hurt him physically to remember the softness of your lips, the things this kiss made him _feel._ He felt tears well up in his eyes again. He never had such feelings before, he’s never met anyone like _you_ before.

He couldn’t bear the thought of you being _hurt._

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a phone call from Markus.

“Hey there,” he heard him, but didn’t really register the words. “How are you, Simon? Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m not,” he answered. “I still don’t know what’s going on with Y/N. And nobody will talk to me. So no, I’m not okay.”

“Listen, I know it’s hard. But you got her there as fast as you could.”

“She lost a lot of blood, Markus. I still have most of it on my clothes.”

“I know, but I’m also sure that they’ll take good care of her.” Markus’ voice was soft, comforting. “You’ll see. How about you? Any injuries?”

“No. There are a few grazes here and there, but nothing serious. You?”

“Josh got shot in the foot, apart from that we’re okay. Do you need help? Want me to join you?”

“No, Markus. You shouldn’t risk it, especially now. I think you should lay low for a while.”

“Yeah… you might be right.”

They spent a few more minutes just talking about everything and anything. Markus knew well that it kept Simon calm. It was definitely better than just sitting there and letting dark thoughts cloud his judgement. He welcomed this support, being able to pass time faster while talking to his friend. When Markus finally had to go and ended the call, Simon was feeling a little better. A little less alone.

He sat back in the chair, once again looking at the news. The attack was still the main topic of the day. They were now interviewing some passers-by and asking about whether they saw anything. To his pleasant surprise, all of those people condemned the attack on both humans and androids, which was a good thing. Sure, it won’t bring the dead back to life, but it was some comfort nonetheless.

He heard his phone beep twice, alerting him to a message he received. He noticed it was from Connor and his heart skipped a beat. He opened it quickly and read it carefully, trying to take it all in at once, to understand what was going on.

Then he saw it and finally, _finally_ felt a little more at ease.

You were out of surgery and you were stable.

He never thought he would enjoy such a statement so much. He was so relieved he felt a tingling sensation underneath his skin. You were _alive._ You were alive and he was going to see you again.

It was only then that he realized how much more important your life was to him than his own.

 

***

 

Connor and Hank arrived at the hospital early in the morning. Simon was in sleep mode, but their presence triggered his awakening. He stood up immediately and was by their side even before they had time to greet him.

“Hello Simon,” Connor was looking as sharp as ever. Hank, on the other hand, was looking extremely tired. “Come on. I think I should be able to get you in.”

Simon nodded and followed him, noticing again that his clothes were still covered in dried blood. He shrugged and tried to forget the fact that most of it was yours.

Showing his badge, Connor was actually able to get through every door without problems. Most of the staff didn’t even ask who Simon was as long as he was following Connor as closely as possible.

“Excuse me,” Connor showed his badge to one of the receptionists at the ICU front desk. “I’m here to check on the victims of the shooting. I need to know where Y/N, Mark Sheffield, Kate Dawson and Barbara Schroeder are located.”

The woman eyed his badge suspiciously. Unable to find anything faulty she sighed and looked at the screen.

“Y/N, room 4. Mark Sheffield, Kate Dawson, room 6. Barbara Schroeder, room 12.”

“Thank you.”

It was only a little more than 100 meters, yet to Simon it felt like the longest distance he had to walk in his entire life. When they stopped in front of your room, he felt surreal, almost as if none of this was actually happening. But you were there, behind the glass, hooked up to different tubes and machines. Simon felt his chest constrict suddenly, pain almost physically crushing.

But you were alive. It’s all that mattered.

When they entered the room, he was immediately by your side. He sat down next to the bed, arm reaching out to touch your face. You were breathing. You looked awful, but you were breathing. Suddenly, Simon felt everything pop back into place; his mind able to focus again, muscles not twitching anymore, no system warnings anywhere. He placed a hand on your cheek and caressed it softly.

Everything was going to be okay.

After a moment both Connor and Hank entered the room, standing on the opposite side of the bed.

“She’s going to be fine,” Hank said, probably trying to make Simon feel a little better. “I’ve seen much worse on people much weaker. You’ll see.”

Simon nodded and placed a hand on your hand - the one that wasn’t wired with sensors.

“I just… thanks. I hope so.”

“I’m so sorry, Simon,” Connor spoke suddenly, a light undertone of desperation to his voice. “It’s all my fault. If only I did more research when you told me about those online forums, maybe I could’ve prevented all this.”

Simon looked up at him.

“No, Connor. There was no way to know. It’s not like they were openly planning to do this online. It’s not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself.”

Connor’s expression suddenly turned to even more pained.

“She was incredibly lucky. Twelve people were killed on the spot. I’m pretty sure they wanted her dead too, but somehow missed her heart with the second shot and got her shoulder instead. I just… I don’t even want to think about the other outcomes.”

“Then don’t.” Hank suddenly cut into the conversation, placing a hand on Connor’s shoulder. “She’s here, she’s alive and we managed to save three more people who are also here in the ICU. There’s no way to change what happened. We should focus on what to do next instead.”

Connor nodded. Hank was right - both him and Simon knew it.

“Well then,” Connor seemed to be trying to shake out of it. “You should change into something less… dirty, Simon. So that you don’t scare the personnel.”

He was right. There was quite a lot of blood on his clothes.

A doctor entered the room, alerting everyone to his presence with a cough.

“Excuse me,” he said. “Are you all with the police?”

“Yes,” Connor answered before Simon managed to open his mouth to speak. “We’re making sure the victims are safe. You’re going to stay here, right, Simon? Just in case?”

Quickly processing what was going on, Simon nodded.

“Sure, Connor.” His answer was fast. “Doctor, can you give us an update on the status of the victims?”

The doctor sighed and looked at the tablet he was holding.

“Let’s see. Here we have Y/N, Y/A years old, two gunshot wounds - one to the knee and one to the arm. For the knee, we had to operate to remove damaged cartilage, ligaments and bone. The bullet went through doing severe damage, but we managed to rebuild everything. It will take some time getting used to after it heals, but at least she’ll be able to walk again. As for the shoulder, there was no exit wound, but we ultimately removed the bullet and cleaned everything. Bone structure was damaged and there were a few ruptured muscles that we had to put together. It will take a while to heal.”

The doctor continued, giving an update on the other patients as well, but Simon already heard what he wanted to hear most. Once again relief washed over him, clouding his senses in a way that made it impossible to hear what the doctor was saying. You were going to live. You were going to be okay. Sure, you’ll need to take it easy for a while for everything to heal. But he’ll be there for you. He’ll never leave your side. And in time, you’ll be back to your old self and he will cherish every moment he gets to spend with you.

When Hank and Connor left the room with the doctor and Simon was alone with you, he moved a little closer and placed a warm kiss on your forehead. You looked so peaceful he could’ve thought you were just sleeping. You were probably on very strong painkillers, but it obviously kept you comfortable.

He looked down, noticing the bloody stains on his clothes once again. He needed to take care of that.

“Hey Josh,” Simon said, calling one of his friends. “I need your help. Can you or North bring me a change of clothes?”

“Sure,” came the reply. “Are you okay? Your voice sounds weird.”

“I am. Y/N is alive and resting. I guess it’s just the stress letting go. And how are you?”

“Fine. Have a hole in my foot, but that’s nothing serious. I’ll talk to North then, yeah?”

“Please do.”

He put the phone away and looked at your sleeping face again. He was not leaving. Making himself comfortable on the chair, he crossed his arms on your bed and placed his head on top of them, looking at your face. He reached out to brush it with his fingertips.

“I’m here,” he said softly, hoping that you can hear it. “I’m here for you, Y/N. And I’m not going anywhere.”

 

***

 

Simon must’ve lost track of time. It only felt like a few minutes have passed before North entered the room, carrying a bag. She placed it on the floor and leaned against the doorframe.

“Did Connor really tell them you’re with the police?” She sounded a little amused. Simon just nodded and stood up, reaching for the bag.

“Yeah,” he answered, surprised with how weak his voice sounded. “But it got me here, didn’t it?”

“Sure, sure. I just… I didn’t realize Connor was such a convincing liar.”

Simon placed the bag on the table by the bed and started looking through the clothes. He forgot to mention that he was going to need shoes too, but luckily a pair of sneakers was also there.

“Thank you, North,” he said, not really looking in her direction. “I could’ve gotten it all myself, but I didn’t want to leave her. I hope you understand.”

North approached the bed, looking at you from underneath long eyelashes.

“I do, Simon. I don’t know what I would to if it happened to Markus. And besides… she’s not that bad. For a human.”

A small smile crept its way onto Simon’s lips.

“No, she’s not,” he sighed. “She’s actually pretty awesome.”

North came closer to Simon, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I came here instead of Josh because I wanted to say sorry, Simon. I shouldn’t have given you and her a hard time. I just… I was worried about you and I didn’t want you to get hurt. I’ve never really met a human who would be on our side, so I didn’t know how to act around her. But hearing her speak about us and _them_ as equals… I realized I didn’t have anything to worry about.”

“It’s okay,” Simon replied soon after. “I don’t blame you for being cautious. I never did.”

North smiled and moved away, looking at you one last time.

“I hope she wakes up soon. Tell her I said hi?”

“She’ll never believe me.”

“Very funny.”

When North left, Simon went into the bathroom and changed into new clothes. He had to admit that the suit was pretty uncomfortable. Putting on baggy trousers and a blouse made him feel much better. He folded the bloodied garments he took off and left them on the floor. Somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to throw them away.

Coming back to the bed, he sat down and focused his eyes on you again. You were very still, breathing softly, your chest rising and falling with each breath. He kept following the movement, the stability of it making him feel safe.

And after a few minutes he noticed your eyes moving under your eyelids.

An alert brought the doctor to the room quickly. Simon was already standing next to you then, hand on the top of your head in a comforting gesture. When you opened your eyes, the softness of his gaze was the first thing you saw.

“Si…” You  wanted to call out to him, but your throat was too sore.

“I’m here,” he said immediately, caressing your hair with his hand. “I’m right here.”

The doctor checked your reflexes with a small flashlight, looked at the readings on the screen and wrote something on his tablet.

“Good,” he said after a while. “Your reflexes are good, your readings are normal. You need to rest now. We’ll run some post-ops, but from the looks of it your life is no longer in danger.”

You blinked and looked around the room, trying to figure out what happened. Why were you here? Why did it hurt so much? And why did Simon look like he was about to cry?

The last thing you remembered was the two of you standing on the terrace. He was holding you close, his lips pressed against your neck. And then… _oh._

And then there was an attack.

The doctor was talking to Simon, but you were so tired and it hurt so much that you were not able to focus well enough to understand what they were talking about. He was also talking to you, something about gunshots and exit wounds, but it was too hard to put it all together into coherent sentences. You kept falling in and out of consciousness, the next thing you noticed were Simon’s lips pressing against your forehead. So soothing, so sweet. The doctor was already gone.

It got better with time, soon you were able to focus your eyesight well enough to see Simon sitting next to you. You turned your head a little to look at him. He smiled at you, reaching forward with his hand to place it on your cheek.

“You’re okay,” he said, voice soft and caring as always. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. You’re going to be fine.”

He called you _sweetheart._ You felt a rush of emotions so violent it almost brought tears to your eyes.

“Are… you…”

You weren’t strong enough to talk to him the way you would have liked. But you were hoping that he was going to get the message.

“I’m okay,” he answered quickly, smiling. “I just have a few bruises and scratches. Nothing serious. This new body you gave me is much more durable than I would have thought.”

Of course it was. You wanted to tell him not to underestimate your skills, but you were too tired.

“Water…” Was all you managed to say before your throat started hurting much more. Luckily, Simon caught up on that quickly and left for a second to bring you a glass of water with a drinking straw. You sipped on the water as slowly as possible, even though you just wanted to gulp everything down immediately. You knew it would not have been a good idea.

The water was incredibly soothing on you throat and your body in general. After a few more sips, you actually felt much better. Looking directly into Simon’s eyes, you decided to try speaking once again.

“Was I… shot?” The words came out hoarse and silent, but they _did_ come out. Thank God.

“Yes,” Simon answered immediately. “They attacked us on the terrace. I was trying to protect you, but there were too many of them and… I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m so sorry.”

“Not… your fault.” You tried to make your voice sound scolding, but it was hard to modulate it with such a sore throat. “Did they… get them?”

“Yes… Connor and Hank got all of them. Managed to kill a few, too.”

“Any… casualties?”

Simon bit his lower lip and debated whether he should tell you all this now. Then again, he didn’t want to lie to you.

“Unfortunately, yes. A few humans were killed and a few androids as well.”

You felt tears well up in your eyes again. This conference was supposed to bring hope, not more despair. It was supposed to be a bridge between sentient beings working towards a common future.

And yet it became a symbol of a massacre.

You felt a tear run down your cheek, burning hot against your skin. Simon wiped it away with his thumb, kissing your forehead again.

“It’s horrible, I know. But the police will hunt them down. All of them. And we’ll make sure that it never happens again.”

You wanted to hug him. You wanted to place your head against his chest, embrace him tightly and to never let go. But your left arm hurt so much you couldn’t even think about moving it.

“I’m glad… you’re okay.” You sounded weak, but you really wanted to say this. Needed to say this.

“So am I,” he answered, pressing his forehead against yours and closing his eyes. “You have no idea how scared I was of losing you.”

You felt this overwhelming urge to kiss him. Again. And you would have. This time you would have, if only you could have moved close enough. But it hurt too much and you felt so incredibly weak. So you just sat there, enjoying the warmth of his skin against yours, the softness of his hand lingering on your cheek. You felt safe.

He _made_ you feel safe.

“Don’t worry,” he said after a while, not moving even an inch away from you. “I’ll take care of you. You’ll see. I’ll keep you safe.”

You used every single bit of strength you had left to lift your right hand and tangle it into his hair, tugging on the soft locks. It hurt, your entire body was sore. But you didn’t care. In that moment, this closeness was everything that mattered. When you heard a soft whimper leave Simon’s mouth, you pulled him even closer.

“I know.”

You never meant it more in your entire life than you did in that moment.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you come home in more ways than one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to move the rating up just in case. Some of the scenes here are pretty explicit. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧  
> Also, there's a fanart bonus at the end. I drew it myself, in case you're wondering :).

Staying at the hospital was much easier with Simon by your side. They moved you out of the ICU really quickly, giving you a small private room to rest. You were supposed to stay under observation for a few more days before you were cleared to go back home. The doctors were especially worried about your knee, which was pretty badly injured and even though the reconstructive surgery was successful there could still be complications, especially since they had to use some artificial parts to secure the joint. Simon was always by your side bringing you food and sweets, making sure nobody stayed too long after a visit and reading to you when you were too tired to do it yourself. He was a little overprotective, yes, but you didn’t really mind. Such kindness was welcome, especially coming from him. For the first time in your life you felt like you could really unwind, like nothing bad will happen if you trust someone enough to allow them to take care of you in your most vulnerable state. It was a liberating feeling.

The pain was slowly becoming less overwhelming, but your movements were still limited. You weren’t allowed to walk on your own, at least not yet, so you spent most of your time laying on the bed and counting down the days until your release.

“You don’t have to sit here with me every single day, you know,” you said to Simon one day as he was peeling oranges for you. “You can go home or go help your friends. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Okay, first of all, my friends can manage without me for now. Second of all, I’m not leaving you here alone.”

It was a little weird for Simon to be staying with you all the time because the rules applying to human visitors didn’t apply to androids. As they were always considered medical support, they were allowed to stay in the hospital around the clock, even during the night. So he was around you all the time, only with an occasional exception when he would go shopping.

It was nice, actually. You felt more comfortable with him close by.

You had many visitors throughout those days and random people were sending you gifts and get-well-soon cards. Mostly those you’ve met during the conference, but also your friends from the university. Still, during the night it was just you and Simon, the android sitting by your bedside and keeping you company. You would even watch TV together sometimes, just like you did at home. However, your favourite activity was always reading. You would ask him to read you your favorite books, his voice soothing in a way you had no idea a voice could be. You would talk about the stories then, arguing about the characters and plots, sometimes laughing so hard you had to force yourself to stop because the motion was pulling at your stitches. You wouldn’t have traded those moments for anything. Even the pain was easily forgotten with Simon close to you.

But there were also the scary moments, the ones when fear would creep into your mind, making you remember the shooting and the fact that you were targeted by an organized group that has actually tried to _kill you._ You knew that they were currently targeted by the police both online and offline, but you still couldn’t shake this strange sensation every single time you thought about it. They already tried to kill you once and they might very well try again. Apparently, speaking for android rights was not a quality they deemed positive.

Simon would hold you close during these moments, repeating again and again how he would always protect you. Truth is, he already did - if it wasn’t for him, you would’ve definitely been shot immediately after the assailants arrived at the terrace. And they surely wouldn’t have missed. You knew he was blaming himself for the fact that you even got shot in the first place, but you kept reminding him that what he actually did was _save your life._ And that was all that mattered to you.

“You have to stop belittling your merits, Simon,” you told him one day, laying on the hospital bed and playing with his hair as he was sitting next to you. “You saved my life. I got shot, yes. But I didn’t die. And it’s all thanks to you.”

“Look who’s talking,” he answered, obviously trying to turn the entire conversation into a joke. “Aren’t you the one who always belittles their achievements?”

“No. I boast about them, actually.”

“With your mindset, you wouldn’t be able to boast about anything even if you tried.”

You had no way to know this, but you saying those things actually meant the world to him. He was slowly starting to realize that you _really meant_ all of them.

You had a few visits from Markus, North and Josh, who were still trying to lay low, but managed to sneak in nonetheless. North was no longer acting so hostile against you and it actually made you feel a little better. Josh was very nice to you, always bringing something sweet as a gift. But what surprised you the most was that one day you were visited by Ralph.

“Hey there, Y/N,” he said, smiling shyly as he entered the room. “Ralph wanted to come by and say hello. He also brought you a gift. He’s hoping you’ll get better soon.”

He handed you a flower pot with blooming dandelions. It was actually very pretty.

“Thank you, Ralph,” You smiled, placing the gift on the cupboard next to your bed. “It’s very nice of you.”

“Ralph has grown them himself, especially for you!”

His quirkiness and positive energy actually made you feel better too.

When you were finally allowed to try walking by yourself, wearing a special orthosis, the pain stopped you after two steps. The doctors told you that it’s fine, that it happens, and that you’ll just have to try again soon. But it was enough to lower your spirits. You spent the entire afternoon moping and even Simon had a hard time trying to cheer you up.

The second try was a little better, but the pain was still too much. Apparently the knee wasn’t healing as fast as it was supposed to. The doctors put you on a different type of antibiotics that made you feel extremely weak, but in the long run helped you with the third try. You were tired, yes, exhausted even. But you managed to walk, which meant you could be coming back home soon. But the doctors kept telling you that you couldn’t overdo it and that you had to take your time. Not only with the knee, but with the arm too.

You were glad to find out that Mark, your fellow professor, was already cleared to go home. He was also shot, but it wasn’t as serious as what has happened to you. Before he left, he came by to wish you good luck and a speedy recovery. And to send a warning glare in Simon’s direction.

When they finally cleared you to go back home, you were still on antibiotics and pain medication and needed to do special exercise for your leg and arm. You were supposed to walk with the orthosis and a crutch for at least another week. Honestly, you would have promised the doctors anything just to be able to leave, so you kept nodding and Simon kept remembering what exactly it was that you had to do.

When you finally set foot in your home again, you never thought you’d tear up, but you did. You missed this house and you missed your independence. So when you were finally inside, you immediately felt much better.

Simon put additional pillows on the sofa so that you’d be comfortable sitting there as you refused to spend all days in bed. He helped you sit down, wrapped you in a blanket and sat down right next to you.

“Feels good to be back home,” you sighed, actually feeling relieved. “But there is one very important thing that I need your help with.”

“And that is?”

“I really need to wash my hair. I hated the shampoo they gave me at the hospital.”

“You should’ve told me. I could’ve gotten another one for you.”

“Simon, honestly, it was the last thing on my mind back then. But now I really, really need it. Will you help me? Pretty please?”

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“I will. Just eat dinner first, okay?”

“Deal.”

As he went to the kitchen to make something to eat, you reached for one of your tablets and started looking through all the emails and schedules that needed to be updated. Simon wouldn’t let you do it while you were still in the hospital, but you needed to get into it at some point. So as you shifted through all the messages, posts and files you didn’t actually realize how much time has passed.

It seemed like only a few minutes after you started Simon was by your side with a plate of pearl barley-based salad.

“This will give you the most nutrients,” he said, encouraging you to eat. “And it’s pretty tasty too from what I’ve heard.”

You were not surprised to notice that he was right as soon as you chewed on the first spoonful.

When you were done with dinner, you both moved to the bathroom to finally take care of your hair. It did take some fussing around, but finally you decided it would be best for you to sit on the floor with your back pressed against the bathtub to give Simon easy access to your hair. He put two pillows underneath you to make sure you’re comfortable and ultimately wrapped a towel around your arms so that it wouldn’t hurt when you leaned back. Uncomfortable, but desperate for the usual smell and feel of your hair, you decided to tolerate these atrocious conditions for the greater good.

Simon sat on the edge of the bathtub and reached for the shower head to wet your hair. You had no idea how he did it, but he immediately got the water temperature just right. When he squeezed some of your favourite shampoo onto his hands and started massaging your scalp, you closed your eyes and sighed contentedly.

“Yeah, just like that,” you whispered, sudden smile on your lips. “I had no idea having your hair washed could feel so good.”

“Neither did I, but...” Simon answered, but didn’t finish the sentence. The contented sounds you were making and the look on your face did things to him, things that made him suddenly feel warmer and a little uneasy.

Washing the foam off your hair he tried to direct his thoughts somewhere else. To the ideas on what he could make for breakfast the next day. To the procedure of redressing your wounds. To anything, _anything_ that would be distracting enough to make him stop thinking about turning your head towards himself and kissing you breathless. Unfortunately, even the thoughts of breakfast and medical procedures were all about _you._

When he was done, he wrapped your hair in one of the soft towels to let it dry for a while. After that, he slid down to the floor and sat next to you.

“Thank you so much, Simon,” you said, nudging him with your hand. “It felt very nice. And my hair finally won’t smell of hospital beds.”

He looked at you and smiled.

“Well, you know I’m always happy to help.”

“I know.”

The satisfied look on your face made his heart melt. You let out a long sigh and bent your neck a little to rest your head on the edge of the bathtub. It felt so nice. So peaceful.

You were finally home.

Unable to walk and work properly, but still. It was your home.

You felt a drop of water trickle down the side of your face. Before you could reach up to wipe it off, Simon did just that after placing a hand on your cheek. His skin was so soft. Or maybe it was his touch that was soft. You didn’t really know anymore.

“Simon…” You turned a little to look at him, only to find out that he was already looking at you.

“I’m here.” He answered, moving to kneel next to you to place both hands on your cheeks and give you the usual sweet forehead kiss.

Only this time, you pulled him down in a way that made him go for your lips instead.

At first, he was frozen in place. He had no idea what to do. Even though his usual instinct would be to back away and apologize, he _didn’t want to do that._ And when your lips slid against his ever so slightly, he knew that this was no accident. That you _wanted_ this.

And God, you did. You only realized how much you _really_ wanted him when you felt the softness of his lips against yours. Tender, soft, tentative. When you grazed his lower lip with your teeth he immediately understood the message and opened his mouth. You reached up to tangle your good hand in his hair, bringing him closer to you, teeth clashing against his. You took a sharp breath and smiled against him as his tongue slipped into your mouth. It felt so surprisingly natural, so _right._ He was the first one to moan when your tongues slided against each other, deepening the kiss and trying to bring you _closer._ His hands on the sides of your face were trembling as he was trying to ground himself somehow by touching you. Oh rA9, he wanted more. So much more. He wanted all of you, he wanted you to be his. He wanted to be yours. He would do anything, _anything,_ just to have you touch him in ways he’s never been touched before. And he would touch you too, praise you the way he always did, kiss every single inch of your skin and whisper how much he loves you as he makes love to you. He would be gentle, sweet and slow, giving you everything he has and hoping it’s enough for you to take him.

He had to pull away from the kiss at those thoughts, sliding his lips lower to press open mouthed kisses to your jawline and neck. A broken moan escaped your lips at the sensation, right hand tugging on Simon’s hair a little. It was his turn to moan, his voice hot and moist against your skin as you pulled him closer, moving your head to give him better access. He accepted immediately, kissing and licking your exposed flesh with so much passion you couldn’t help the next moan.

“Si… oh, _Simon!_ ”

Hearing his name like that, with your broken voice and a breathy moan, he went for your lips again. He couldn’t stop himself. Whispering your name against your lips in a shaky voice, he kept kissing you, kept sliding his lips against yours, so turned on by the fact that you were doing the exact same thing, that you wanted him just as much as he wanted you. He wanted to take you right then, right there. Of course he knew that you were injured and he would never dare touch you during recovery, but just thinking about it sent strange, unknown shivers down his spine, warmth trailing down and settling between his legs. A strange sensation that suddenly made him feel very uncomfortable wearing _any_ clothes at all.

But for now, you had to pull away from each other because apparently you needed to _breathe._

You pressed your forehead against his, trying to catch your breath but to still keep him close. He tried forcing himself to calm down, to relax, but he couldn’t. His head was spinning and there were so many emotions he couldn’t understand. It was too much and yet it was not enough.

You smiled, closing your eyes as your breathing evened out.

“Simon,” you whispered, bliss evident in your voice. “I…”

He would have said something, he _wanted to_ , but something was wrong with his audio processor, only allowing him to open his mouth slightly and move closer, so that his lips were touching yours, not kissing, just _there._

“I love you,” He whispered after what seemed like an eternity, right into your mouth, swallowing a gasp escaping your lips with a quick, sweet kiss. “I love you _so much_.”

You kissed him back, breath catching in your throat at the feelings so evident in his voice. You suddenly felt so light-headed that your legs would definitely give in if you weren’t sitting down.

“I love you too,” You smiled against his lips, hand still in his hair. The sound he made at your words sounded like something between a moan and a shaky laugh.

Before you managed to add anything else, he started peppering your face with soft kisses, giving extra attention to your lips. When he pulled away, face flushed light blue and eyes glistening, you couldn’t believe how _beautiful_ he was.

“I… never thought you would…” He started, but you silenced him by placing a finger on his lips.

“I don’t want to hear it.” You said, your voice mockingly scolding. “You’re _amazing,_ Simon, and I never felt anything like that before. For _anyone._ So shut up and kiss me again before I change my mind.”

He laughed. He actually laughed. You were _incredible._

So he pressed a soft kiss to your lips and moved away almost immediately, gaining a frustrated groan from you.

“Listen, I would love to kiss you a little more, but maybe we should leave the bathroom first?” He said, trying to help you stand back up on your feet.

“Fair enough,” You said, only now feeling how sore your back was from being pressed against the bathtub. “Maybe I should get back on the sofa.”

“You should. Come on.”

He helped you get back to the living room where he took the towel off of your hair and combed them down for you. You actually felt so tired that you decided to take a quick nap. Simon sat next to you, touching your face gently and running his fingers through your wet hair. He still couldn’t believe what just happened. You kissed him. You told him you loved him. He felt like his chest could burst with happiness from just thinking about it. He never thought you could feel this way about him, and yet he felt so much love in the kiss you shared he was pretty sure most of his systems were close to overloading. And he just sat there, looking at you, absent - mindedly touching your face, your ears, your lips. You fell asleep quickly and he felt like he just had to sit there, just in case anything happens, so that nothing disturbed your sleep. He smiled to himself. You would’ve told him he worried too much.

And yet you always worried too much yourself.

After a while he left you on the sofa to make your bed. You woke up after half an hour, deciding it was high time to go to sleep for the night, not just take a nap in the living room. You went to take a shower, which took you three times as much time as it usually did, but you managed somehow, feeling completely lifeless afterwards. Simon helped you redress the wounds and you were finally able to lay down, feeling warm and comfortable in your own bed. You almost forgot about the pain for a few minutes.

“Do you need any more pillows?” Simon asked, sitting on the bed next to you.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Great. I’ll go enter sleep mode too then. Call me if you need anything.”

He said that, but he didn’t move an inch. He didn’t really want to go. He wanted to stay with you, worrying that you might get uncomfortable during the night and he won’t be able to help you because he won’t notice.

You reached left and placed a hand on his leg, your touch warm and delicate.

“Can I get a goodnight kiss?”

He smiled and leaned closer to place a quick kiss on your lips, surprised when you reached upwards to hold him in place for a little longer. You nibbed on his lower lip, encouraging him to open his mouth. He didn’t object, placing a hand on your waist and deepening the kiss. You were so soft under his touch, your skin very similar and yet so different than his. He was fascinated by it, especially by the way it was immediately covered in goosebumps whenever you kissed.

When you pulled away, he was still sitting next to you, warm smile on his face. You didn’t want him to leave your bedroom. You were so used to having him around during the night too that you had no idea if you’ll even be able to sleep without him by your side.

“Maybe you could stay here for the night?” You asked, avoiding eye contact, suddenly feeling embarrassed by the question.

“Oh, uhhh… sure. I’ll be happy to.” He answered, blue blush suddenly painting his cheeks. “Just let me get changed and I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Okay.”

When he left, you hit your own head with an open palm and sighed. You just kissed, he told you  he loved you and you admitted that you love him too, and yet it was such a problem to ask him to sleep in one bed with you.

Great, Y/N. Congratulations.

When he came back wearing shorts and a T-shirt, he turned off the light and slid under the covers next to you. He was a little nervous too, not really knowing what to do. Should he just enter sleep mode? Or maybe touch you? No, touching or hugging you might have not been the best idea - you were still recovering from your injuries after all. So he just moved to lay on his side, looking at you and reaching out to place his hand on yours.

“Goodnight, my love,” he said, the usual warmth clearly visible in his eyes.

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” you answered, turning your head to smile at him and closing your eyes soon after.

As soon as you felt him shuffle closer to you and place a kiss on your exposed arm and then your forehead, you felt like you were finally _home._

 

__


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Simon tells you his story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I came up with a background story for Simon because the game doesn't give us any. I hope you find it interesting! It explains most of his behavior in this story, so it was important for me to get it right. Also, this chapter is STEAMYYY! Be warned :3
> 
> There is also a reference to suicide in this chapter.

You stirred, once again waking up in an extremely uncomfortable position with your back hurting from all the pillows you had to place around your body. You couldn’t wait to be able to sleep on your side like you usually did. Forcing yourself to sleep on your back was something you were not used to and something that made it both hard to fall asleep and impossible to spend the entire night without waking up. You groaned, rubbing your temples with your hands. Your shoulder was still sore from where the muscles were damaged, but it felt like actual mild soreness, which was a huge improvement from the feeling of tissue being ripped apart every single time you moved your arm.

Only then did you notice the continuous sound of raindrops falling outside, hitting the windows in your bedroom. Beautiful spring in Detroit. Still, you did enjoy the sound in a way - the continuous pat of water droplets and its irregularity calming your mind somehow.

You yawned and turned to the side. Simon was sleeping next to you, his chest moving slightly with simulated breaths to make him look like he was actually _asleep._ The sleep mode programming was something you were all so incredibly proud of - you always thought that it was the state when androids looked most _human._

You shuffled a little closer to Simon, hand reaching to touch his face. He was so beautiful when he was asleep. Well, he was _always_ beautiful to be honest, but there was something about his content sleeping face that you adored so much. You smiled, brushed his hair away from his forehead and placed a soft kiss on the bridge of his nose.

“Good morning, Simon,” You said, hand still nuzzling his hair. Baby blue eyes opened slowly, his gaze immediately focusing on you.

“Good morning, Y/N”, He answered, giving your lips a quick peck. You smiled against it and nuzzled his nose with yours.

You just laid there for a moment, enjoying each other’s presence when his hand moved to stroke the skin on your belly and ribs. You noticed that his skin retracted while he was touching you like this, white exoskeleton clearly visible.

“You do realize I can’t interface with you, right?” You asked, laughing a little. It wasn’t the first time he’s done this.

“Oh, I do. It’s just… you know it means a lot to me. It feels… different.”

“I know, baby,” You kissed his cheek this time. “I like it. I really do.”

“And I’m glad you’re not repulsed by it.”

“Why would I be? It’s _you._ ”

He smiled again, soft chuckle escaping his lips before he connected them with yours. The kiss was sweet, not too deep, yet passionate enough to make you curse your recovering knee under your breath.

“Want me to go make breakfast?” He asked after a moment, placing his hand on your cheek.

“Simon, there’s enough food in the fridge that I’m pretty sure you don’t have to make breakfast for the next three days. I can just eat what we already have.”

“I know, but I want to.” He said, as if it was supposed to immediately change your mind. “I feel like making pancakes today.”

You sighed. You _did_ like pancakes.

“Alright. But stay here for a while longer?”

He nuzzled his face against your neck, placing a soft kiss there.

“Sure.”

It all felt so… _natural._ Almost as if it was always meant to be. Ever since the kiss you shared a few days ago the dynamic between you shifted to something much more intimate. You felt like something finally broke, like an invisible wall between you has been torn down and you were finally open about what you felt for each other. And it was so obvious to you that you loved him. Now that you thought about it, you realized you already have for quite a long time.

Strangely enough, you didn’t even think about the fact that he was an android, that for some people it would be strange to know about your relationship. You simply didn’t care. You have fallen for Simon because of the way he was when he was with you. Nobody has ever given you that much before and you have never felt that safe, that complete with anyone.

So you basked in this closeness every single morning, just like you were doing now, his warmth so _human_ against your skin. When he finally kissed you again and left for the kitchen, you actually whimpered at the loss.

“Stay here,” He said, caressing your cheek. “I’ll go make breakfast, okay?”

“Okay,” you answered, a small yawn escaping your lips.

He left quietly and you pulled the covers a little higher. Maybe five more minutes in bed will make you feel a little less sore.

When Simon entered the kitchen, he stopped by the fridge and let out a sigh he wasn’t actually holding. He still couldn’t believe what happened. You wanted him. Even more, you _loved_ him. Just the way he was, not caring that he was an android, and a fairly outdated model at that. The way you looked at him, the way you spoke to him was still something incredible, all those actions laced with such warmth he couldn’t help but actually feel it somewhere under his own skin. He didn’t really know how to explain what exactly he was feeling when he was with you, the data so inconclusive he actually stopped trying at some point. He knew he loved you. He felt loved by you. And yet, there was this thing. This unconditional worry. He did know where it was coming from, yes, but he didn’t want to bother you with this. You had enough on your mind without his worries. It shouldn’t concern you as it had nothing to do with you.

Yet it had everything to do with him.

What was the most important thing for him right now was that you were doing much, much better and it was possible that you’ll be able to walk normally very soon. You were already wearing a much lighter and thinner orthosis, enabling you to walk using a crutch. You also had to go for short walks every other day to strengthen the muscles in your knee. Simon really liked those walks, even if you had to stop quite often for you to regain your strength. You weren’t used to walking using a crutch and your arm hurt a lot, making you grumpy. He had to admit you were actually pretty cute with the little frown on your face. Still, he didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable, so he would usually help you sit down and distract you with a funny conversation until you felt better.

He looked outside. The rain stopped; it almost looked like the sun could show up anytime soon. Maybe you were going to go outside today too.

He started humming a tune, pouring pancake batter on the pan. He liked the smell of pancakes, especially covered with a bit of maple syrup. He wasn’t surprised to see you walk into the kitchen after a moment - the smell must have woken you up too.

“Simon, it smells so good,” you whispered, standing next to him. “How much longer?”

“Weren’t you the one who said she could eat leftovers from yesterday?”

“Oh? Was it me? Nah. You must have imagined it.”

He smiled and kissed your forehead as you stuck your tongue out at him and hobbled to the table. The sound of your crutch hitting the floor tiles told him when you sat down.

“Want tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate?”

“Tea would be great. Do we have mint tea?”

He chuckled to himself. _Do we have mint tea_. _We._ His heart skipped a beat at those words.

“Sure. I’ll make some in a second.”

“Thank you, baby.”

He was surprised with how much he liked when you called him _baby._ It made him feel warm inside, almost as if there was something fuzzy blooming in his chest. He knew it was physically impossible, but if he had to describe it somehow, it was the best comparison he could come up with.

Few minutes passed and he brought the tea and pancakes to the table, putting them down in front of you.

“Enjoy,” he said, brushing your arm with his fingers. “I made it just the way you like.”

“I’m sure I will,” you licked your lips, digging in immediately and once again realizing what an amazing cook Simon was, even with something as simple as pancakes.

When you were done with the food Simon wanted to help you get to the sofa, but you batted his hand away and reached for the crutch.

“I have to do this by myself, Simon,” you wheezed. “I need to get this knee to work somehow.”

“You are doing an amazing job already,” he said. “It’s healing up very nicely. Looks like you’re also adjusting to the artificial parts pretty well.”

“I’m trying. I really want to get back to the workshop. My fingers get itchy if I don’t work with something for a long while and this while is definitely _too long._ But I need to be able to stand in one position for a period of time longer than thirty seconds.”

“Well then, maybe we should go for the walk? Seems like the weather is much better now.”

“You know what, it’s actually a great idea. Can we leave in half an hour? I have some emails to check.”

“Sure. I’ll get ready then.”

You wanted to check your emails, you really did, but your mind kept wandering. Mostly because you were both incredibly surprised and incredibly happy with the way things turned out between you and Simon. You would have never guessed you would fall in love with an android; on the other hand, why would it surprise you? Simon was gentle, sweet and caring, yet at the same time he did have that snarkiness about him that made you laugh and the way he made you feel was something you never had before. But there was a certain layer of desperation to him that you noticed from time to time. He constantly needed validation, constantly thought himself worse than he actually was. The reason you noticed that was because you knew the feeling too well. You didn’t want to ask about it, but you were sure that it must have had to do with his past rather than with the fact that he was an android. Only now you started wondering why it was _him_ who jumped and saved Markus. And why would he blame himself for what happened to you? Yes, you got hurt, but it wasn’t his fault, yet you saw how apologetic he sounded every time you talked about it. And yet he was the first person in your life who made you feel safe.

You needed to find a way to talk about this. You wanted to understand.

You didn’t want him to feel insecure in any way.

When you left the house, the smell of wet ground and fresh grass hit your nose immediately. You breathed in, letting it fill your lungs. Even though you had to be mindful of your crutch for now, you were so happy that the weather was finally getting more like the spring it has been for quite a while now. It was getting warmer, too.

Simon was walking next to you, soft smile on his face. The actual walk was tediously slow, but he didn’t seem to mind. He would comment on all the mundane things around you - the birds, the smells, the feeling of wind against his skin. But you kept coming back to those thoughts. You had to ask him. You had to, because you were starting to get worried.

“Simon… is everything okay?” You asked finally, looking him straight in the eyes.

He seemed surprised with your question.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I just… I get the feeling that you’re not talking to me about all your worries. I want to know what’s going on in your head, Simon. That’s also part of the ‘I love you’ that I said, you know.”

He kept looking at you, a shadow of worry passing through his face. How was he supposed to explain what he was feeling?

“I… I do. It’s just… it’s stupid. And I don’t think it really matters right now.”

You stopped.

“Talk to me, Simon. It matters to me. Everything about you matters to me. I don’t want a sugarcoated reality with no doubts and worries. I want _you._ ”

He approached you slowly, avoiding eye contact now. Still, you could see in his expression that he was processing all of what you just said.

“I… I don’t really know how to explain this. It’s just this… anxiety behind everything I do. That I’m not good enough. That you’re not happy. That I’m not _doing_ enough.”

You felt a sting of tears welling up. Was that really how he felt?

“Simon, you’re not here to make _me_ happy. You’re here so that we can be happy _together._ I love you and I will take care of you. And I will do my best to make you happy too.”

He stood there, right in front of you, mouth opening and closing almost as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the right words. So he moved closer and pressed a signature kiss to your forehead. It always seemed to ground him, to calm him down.

“I love you so much.” He said, not really knowing how else he could convey what he was feeling. “I’m just… I guess I’m a little more... _broken_ than I initially thought.”

You reached up to touch his face, to show him some affection. He leaned into it, so desperate for your warmth.

“Listen, you can tell me anything. Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you. I may not be able to interface with you, but I still might understand the way you feel if you talk to me.”

He nodded, obviously going through something in his head again. After a few minutes of silent walking you approached an outdoor table with two benches and you decided to sit down for a moment. Simon sat next to you, gave you a quick kiss and took off his backpack. After a while of rummaging inside he took out a thermos filled with hot tea and a small plastic container with cookies.

You took the beverage he poured for you, reached for one cookie and waited. You didn’t say anything. You just leaned against him, giving him comfort. You could see that he was going through an internal struggle and your heart hurt for him, but unless he told you there would be no way for you to understand.

So you waited.

And then he finally started talking.

“I don’t really know how to explain those feelings,” He said. “But maybe if I tell you what happened it would help you understand.”

“Alright. I’m listening.”

He closed his eyes for a second, obviously sifting through some data. You knew exactly what he was doing. Accessing secondary memory drives. It’s not that he didn’t remember; you knew that this feed was supposed to be just background noise, not influencing the everyday life of an android too much, but it still could be accessed easily. Androids used it to process trauma similarly that humans did, but much faster. You can’t forget what happened, but you can push it to the back of your head where it bothers you less and less. In other words, you can learn to live with it.

For androids, this process was made to be much faster.

“I was bought by a lady in her late fifties, Christina.” His voice was still soft while he talked about it, but you could hear the undertones of worry there. “She was a very sad lady who has gone through a lot in life. Her kids went to universities to Asia and as long as she had her husband by her side, she at least had some stability. But then one of her kids died in a plane crash. Her husband did help her go through this, even though he himself was grieving. And then he died too. In a car accident. And she was left alone in a huge apartment in the center of Detroit.”

You reached out to squeeze his hand. He welcomed it, mirroring the gesture and interlacing his fingers with yours.

“It must’ve been very hard for her.”

“It was. Her friends couldn’t find a way to make her better. But soon, the first androids were introduced into service. PL600 was one of the earliest models. Her friends managed to convinced her to get one, just so she could have company. So she bought me. CyberLife was conducting a survey back then, asking those willing to participate why they would choose to have an android in their house. She said it was to replace her dead husband.”

To replace her dead husband? God, she must have been so lonely. You felt your chest tighten at the words. You could only imagine what she was feeling.

“So she asked for a full PL600 configuration,” He continued, voice unchanging, yet his eyes conveyed so many emotions at the same time. “So that, you know. I could _actually_ replace her husband in every possible way. He used to be a university professor - she gave me his clothes, gave me his name, called me pet names reserved for him. She said she picked my model because I resembled him the most.”

You squeezed his hand tighter and moved it to your lips to place a kiss on his palm. He was _shaking._ Your heart was breaking for him, but you were not going to stop him. If he wanted to talk, you were going to listen to whatever he had to say.

“And she told me exactly what to do. How to mimic his behavior. What breakfast to make for her, how to kiss her cheeks before she went to sleep. And I did all that the best I could. My programming at the time made me put her satisfaction before anything else. So I tried really hard, you know. I did everything she asked. But it was never enough. She would still cry, she would still be hurting. Whatever I did, it was never enough. I couldn’t understand why. Now I do.”

He paused for a moment, suddenly looking at you. You smiled at him encouragingly. It seemed to calm him a little and he continued after a while.

“And then she started shouting at me. Physically assaulting me. Apologizing in the evening, telling me none of it was my fault. And yet in the morning she would shout again, calling me a stupid, empty machine. I had no idea what was going on. I tried calling her daughter, but she wouldn’t answer the phone. I left her messages. She never called back. Maybe it would have changed something if she did. I kept thinking about it afterwards, you know? What if she had picked up the phone at least once. It could have made all the difference in the world.”

Or not, you wanted to say. It could’ve also made things much worse. But you didn’t say anything, not wanting to interrupt Simon.

“Things were getting worse and worse. She was crying all the time, telling me she can’t look at me. Telling me to leave and never come back. But I had nowhere to go, so I would just sit and not speak, hoping that she would not actually make me leave. She would still usually apologize, but nothing would change in the long run. And then one day, she asked me to make dinner. The dishes she wanted were unusual for her, but I did as I was told. I prepared a delicious meal, made tea, put everything on the dining table. She told me to sit with her. She didn’t eat anything. She just looked at the dishes, disgusted look on her face. She told me the worst things then. That I could never replace a human, that I will always be just a machine, that she was so wrong to have thought I might make her feel better. That she regrets ever buying me, ever wasting the money. That I could never be her husband, her beloved Simon, that she hated how I was using his name. That she couldn't bear to look at me.”

He started shaking again then, not really able to control himself. You could see tears falling down his cheeks. You moved even closer to him, wiping all the drops with your sleeve. You placed a hand on his cheek, caressing it softly with your thumb. You didn’t want to hear what happened next because you just realized what it might have been.

But you were not going to interrupt him.

“She told me to sit down and not move as she reached behind her chair to take a gun. I was mortified. She told me not to move even though my first instinct was to run to her. I was sure she was going to shoot me. Kill me. But she didn’t. She put a bullet through her own head instead.”

You couldn’t stop your tears from falling anymore. So you sat there, crying for him and for her. You couldn’t have imagined how he must’ve felt. How _she_ must’ve felt.

But it did make so much sense in terms of Simon’s behavior. It suddenly made you understand every single desperate action the android took.

And it hurt you even more.

“Baby,” you said, pressing your cheek against his, feeling his tears mix with yours. “I’m so sorry. I… I can’t even imagine what it must’ve…”

You didn’t finish. He pulled you closer, burying his face in your hair. The smell of it calmed him down, helped him collect himself. He continued after a while, words broken against your skin.

“I ran away then. I just left, knowing that if anyone finds me, they will think that I was the one to kill her… but in a way I felt like I was. I arrived in Jericho as one of the first androids to ever set foot there. I became their leader, helping them get through their new selves, trying to help them get comfortable with their new lives. But I was such a mess inside. I could hear the gunshot every single time I closed my eyes. I would see her hear cracking open, bleeding on the table. And I felt responsible. If I tried harder, if I did more, if I did better, she could’ve still been alive. I failed her and I failed myself.”

He was still holding you close, the feeling of your body next to him giving him comfort. He was surprised to notice that with the words coming out of his mouth it was actually getting easier and easier to process this. To arrange everything the way it was supposed to be.

Maybe you will finally be able to help him lift this weight from his heart.

“When Markus arrived in Jericho, I was actually glad, you know? I was glad that he became the leader. He was braver, stronger, more charismatic. I would follow him anywhere and sacrifice my life for him if I had to. And at some point, I actually think I wanted to. That’s why I jumped in front of the attackers that day. I think I just wanted to die, because there was no other way for me to make a difference, to feel useful. And then I met _you._ ”

You pulled away a little, forcing him to look you in the eyes. He was still crying, but the look he shared with you was warm. Grateful. And so full of love.

“And I still have those thoughts, you know. That I’m not good enough. That I fail with everything I touch. That’s why I was so surprised when I felt _wanted_ being with you. When I felt like I belonged somewhere. It was a feeling so strange I couldn’t believe it was real. And even though you were there, obviously enjoying my company, I still… couldn’t believe it. And I guess in a way I still can’t.”

He pressed a kiss to your nose, placing his forehead against yours.

“I never felt love before, but I immediately knew what it was with you. And when you said you loved me too… I couldn’t believe it, because knowing what the extent of this incredible feeling is I couldn’t comprehend how _you_ could feel the same way about _me._ I was just… constantly worrying that I’m not good enough and that I could never replace a human.”

You smiled, grazing his nose with yours. You were so glad he told you all this. Now you finally felt like you understood what he was going through.

Especially since you went through a very similar set of feelings at the university.

“Simon,” You whispered after a moment, closing your eyes. “I understand how you feel. I really do. But please remember what I’m about to tell you. You may never be able to replace a human, but _you don’t need to._ You were never meant to be a replacement. You were always meant to be _you_ and that’s who I fell in love with. _You._ The you I got to know when you were brought to me for repairs, the you I got to know when you hacked my home system to order groceries. The you I got to know when you saved my life on that roof. _None_ of this was your fault, Simon. None of what happened to Christina. None of what would have happened to Markus if you hadn’t protected him that day. You chose to sacrifice your own happiness for others, but you don’t have to do this anymore. Not with me, because there are _so many other ways to help._ So I want you to tell me what you want. What would make _you_ happy. And I will do that for you.”

Simon bit his lower lip, obviously trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill once again. He knew very well what he wanted. Actually, there was just one thing.

“I want you to love me.” He said, whispering the words against your lips.

“I do,” you answered, smiling again. “And I will.”

He kissed you then, the drag of his lips so desperate it almost made your chest burst. He tangled one hand in your hair to bring you closer, the other wrapping carefully around your waist not to irritate your arm. But you couldn’t care less at that moment. So you wrapped your arms around his neck, muscles in your left arm pulling, but pain not stopping you. You pulled him close, _closer,_ wanting so badly to show him how you felt. When you parted your lips and felt his tongue slide against yours, your brain switched off immediately, the only thing on your mind being _Simon_ and the incredible warmth of his body. You loved him so much.

And you will do everything you can to make him happy.

You stayed like this for a while, foreheads pressed against each other’s, lips barely touching. You didn’t have to say anything else. Simon reached for your hand and tangled his fingers with yours again, raising his arm to hold your hand closer to his face. As soon as he stopped moving, he retracted his skin and pressed his bare fingers against yours. You smiled. You really appreciated the gesture.

Suddenly you felt a wet drop on your cheek. Worried that Simon might be crying again, you looked up, only to notice that it wasn’t him. It was starting to rain. And judging by the color of the clouds, a storm was going to hit soon.

“Uhh… Simon?” Your voice made the android open his eyes immediately.

“Yes?”  
“I’m afraid it’s starting to rain.”

“Impossible, the weather forecast was…”

He wasn’t able to finish the sentence. It started pouring _hard,_ almost as if somebody just turned the water on on purpose.

“Fuck!” You cursed, your clothes already soaking wet. “How are we going to get back now?!”

Simon started laughing.

“I don’t see what’s so funny here, Simon!”

“Sorry,” He said, trying to suppress the laugh. He was completely drenched too. “It’s just… you look funny with your hair flat wet like that.”

You blushed.

“I look funny?! Look at yourself! You look like you have no hair at all!”

It was a little funny though. Still, you had no idea how you were going to get back. There was no way to use your crutch in such weather. It would be too slippery.

“Alright, alright. I’m gonna pack up and we’re going back.” Simon said after a moment, rainfall getting even heavier. You actually didn’t care anymore as it was impossible for you to get more wet.

“Great idea, but I don’t think it’s gonna work. I can’t walk in such rain.”

“Well, you can’t, but I can. I’ll carry you.”

“What?!”

“It’s a short distance. Remember, I already carried you for five kilometers when you got shot. This is nothing to me.”

You wanted to protest, you wanted to say something, but he gave you no chance. As soon as he put the backpack back on, he hooked you onto his arms by sliding them around your waist and thighs. It looked like he did it with no actual effort. When he stood up and started walking, much faster than you ever remembered him walking, you couldn’t hide your surprise.

“Simon, please slow down! I don’t even want to think about what’s going to happen if you slip and fall!”

“I won’t.” He answered confidently, kissing you on the forehead and continuing even faster.

You smiled. Rain was still falling, you could barely see, it was incredibly cold, and yet you smiled. Simon really was incredible. With the way he was carrying you, not even paying attention to the downpour, it almost felt like being rescued by a superhero. Maybe he just was one. Disguised as an android, but still a superhero.

When you entered the house ten minutes later, he sat you on a cupboard in the hall. You let out a puffy breath as your body connected with the wood. Still, it was a good idea. You were not supposed to put too much weight on your leg.

It was then that you realized you didn’t have your crutch.

“Uhh, Simon… I think I left my crutch by the benches.”

He blinked, wiping water away from his face with his sleeve.

“What?”

“I must have left it there. I forgot to grab it when we left.”

“Oh well,” He sighed, leaving you in the hall to bring two dry towels from the bathroom. “I’ll go and get it when it stops raining. For now, we have to get you dry.”

You chuckled. It was so surreal. First the walk, then the talk, and now the missing crutch. It all felt too impossible to be true. Simon smiled at that and brought your attention to him when he started wiping your face with one of the towels. He was very gentle with his movements, placing the fabric softly against your skin and rubbing ever-so-slightly. When he removed the towel, he moved closer to place a soft kiss on your lips.

“You have to change your clothes,” He said, tugging at your blouse. “You’re soaking wet.”

“So are you,” You laughed, reaching forward to place your hands on his cheeks.

“That’s true, but I can’t catch a cold. I’ll take you to your bedroom to get changed now.”

You knew he was right, that this was what you should have done. But you had a much better idea. You wrapped your good leg around his thighs and pulled him closer, positioning him against your chest and between your legs.

“Y/N!”, He shouted, terrified undertone to his voice. “What are you doing?! Your leg is…”

“My leg,” You interrupted him by placing a finger on his lips. “Is much better than you think. Besides, it’s not like I can’t move it. I just can’t put too much weight on it. And right now I’m sitting down, so I don’t see any potential threats. Neither should you.”

He really wanted to deliver a retort to that, but he was suddenly rendered speechless by your hand under his shirt. You placed it on his abs and started moving upwards, finally resting it on his chest.

“Take it off,” You whispered, brushing his ear with your lips. He felt a shiver run down his spine.

“Y/N, what are you…”

“It’s wet. You don’t want to be wearing wet clothes, do you?”

The feeling of your hot breath against his ear made him bite his bottom lip again. He buried his face in the crook of your neck to stifle a soft moan leaving his mouth. You were so close. He could feel your chest against his, your hand in his hair, your lips somewhere around his ear. It was intoxicating. Intoxicating and incredibly _good._

So he obliged. He took the shirt off, discarding it on the floor with a wet slap. You smiled, running your fingers against his bare skin. It was soft, but the texture was a little different than human. A little smoother. You could be touching it forever.

“Y/N… you should rest… get… warm…” Simon wanted to form coherent sentences, he was really trying, but your touch was doing things to him; things he didn’t know were possible with his android body.

“I _am_ getting warm,” you whispered against the side of his neck. “Now take _my_ shirt off.”

He wanted to answer, he wanted to say no, but when you started peppering open-mouthed kisses against his jaw there was no way for him to refuse anything you asked of him. So he reached lower, snaking his hands under your shirt. As he moved them higher and higher, your breathing sped up too. This was _amazing._ You never wanted him to stop.

When he pulled the shirt off over your head, you immediately moved your head closer to connect your lips in a searing kiss. He wrapped his strong arms around your body, pulling you closer to him, as close as possible. The skin contact made you shiver, his warmth suddenly unbearable, but so _essential._ You deepened the kiss by sliding your tongue into his mouth and licking into it with vigor. The moans and whimpers he was making went straight to your core.

“ _Simon_ ,” You whispered between kisses, your voice dark with lust. “Simon, come closer. Please.”

“But…” Apparently it was still hard for him to form actual sentences. “Your leg… and…”

“I don’t care. _Come here._ ”

You started kissing again, but this time you were bolder with your hands. You reached behind Simon to run your fingers against his back, tangle it in his hair, tease the waistband of his pants. He kept moaning into your lips, ultimately sliding lower to mouth at your jaw and then your neck. That was when you started moaning too.

“Oh, _Simon,_ you’re so good baby, you’re _so good…_ ” You kept repeating his name like a mantra, your eyes closed as you felt so incredibly turned on.

“Y/N”, The way he breathed your name gave you goosebumps. “ _Please-_ ”

 _Oh God._ The desperation in his voice made your head spin with _want_.

“Please what, baby? I’ll… ah… I’ll give you _anything._ ” You whispered, distracted with his hands starting to fondle your breasts.

“ _Please_ touch me.”

“Where, baby?”

“ _There._ ”

You bit your lower lip to stifle a moan and moved your hand lower, exactly where he was guiding you. You found the button of his trousers and started fumbling with it immediately. As soon as you managed to open it, you slid your hand underneath, pressing your palm flat against his still-clothed erection.

And _what_ an erection it was.

He bucked his hips against yours, desperate for any kind of friction now that your hand was on him. Licking into your lips again, he kept moaning, unable to control himself. This felt so good. You felt so good. By rA9, he was so glad that he was lucky enough to _have_ those parts. The feeling was incredible, all his systems working at the highest speed, giving him so many sensations at once that he almost thought he was going to explode. But he didn’t. The feeling kept on lingering, making him drunk with your touch, your lips and the feeling of your bare skin against his. And it was getting better with every passing second.

“Oh yes-” He whispered into your mouth as your hand started moving. “I love you so much, Y/N… I love you _so much!_ ”

You couldn’t control yourself anymore either. After a few torturously slow strokes you slid your hand beneath his boxer briefs. When your fingers wrapped around his bare erection, he let out a moan coated with a _sob._

“Ahhh-” You loved the fact that he was not pulling his lips away from yours, every sound he was making going directly into your mouth with even more kisses. “Y/N… don’t… stop…”

“I have to,” you breathed out, trying to control yourself. “Because I want you _inside me._ ”

He felt tears falling from his eyes at the words, the bare _thought_ of it almost making him come. You wanted him _inside you_. And judging by the heat of your skin and the look on your face, right now you were just as turned on as he was.

“Oh _fuck,_ ” he whispered, surprising you with the swear word, but also turning you on even more. “I… don’t…”

“Just take my clothes off. _Please._ ”

Hearing the word ‘please’ come from your mouth made his cock twitch in your grasp. He pulled away a little to take your pants off, being very careful not to damage the orthosis on your leg. It did take him a moment, but then there you were. Naked. In front of him. Breathing heavily, eyes dark with lust, lips swollen and glistening from kisses. He bit his lower lip at the sight. You were so beautiful.

And you were _his._

He pulled closer, devouring your mouth in another hungry kiss, hand moving lower to slide against your folds. When he realized how hot and wet you already were, he shivered with anticipation. He still wanted to prep you, fingers dancing around your entrance, but you didn’t let him.

“ _Simon,_ ” his name came out in a breathy moan. “I’m _more_ than ready. _Please_ hurry up.”

He placed one of his hands on your cheek and grasped his weeping cock with the other. Oh rA9. This was really happening.

“Anything for you, my love,” he whispered as he aligned himself and started pushing into you slowly.

You felt like _dying_ and simultaneously being brought back to life. He was so hot. He was so _big._ The stretch was just perfect, but also much too slow. You were not made of glass. You could take him.

You wrapped your good leg around his legs again, urging him to move forward. Surprised with the motion, he actually did. Burying himself to the hilt, he couldn’t help but moan. You were moaning too, the feeling of fullness and _Simon_ overwhelming you completely, barely allowing you to catch your breath.

“Y/N,” he whispered, brows furrowed, face inches away from yours. “You feel… so tight…”

“Oh, _Simon,_ ” you moaned as you felt him twitch inside you. “Come on… move for me, baby…”

And he did. He started moving very slowly at first, his thrusts deep and _so good._ You reached up to tangle your hand in his hair to bring his lips closer to yours.

“I can’t… this is…” He was whispering nonsense, trying to control himself somehow, but it was impossible. Not with you so tight around him, not with the wet heat surrounding his cock.

“Kiss me,” you moaned, tugging at his hair and connecting his lips with yours.

The kiss was messy, sweet and mind-numbing, full of tongues sliding against each other, teeth biting at lips, moans escaping your throat every now and then. Combined with the rhythm you just managed to set with each other it made you certain you will not be able to last long. Not leaving Simon’s mouth, you whined against it, desperate for the contact.

“Simon, I’m… I’m gonna…”

“So am I,” he answered, chest pressing against yours, his voice almost _pained._ “I’m so… _so close… a-ah!_ ”

With a few more thrusts he was coming, the sound of your name being moaned against your lips pushing you over the edge as well. You dug your fingertips into his back, unable to contain yourself. The pleasure was so overwhelming you were sure it blinded you for a few moment. But you never let go, riding each other’s orgasms out pressed as closely as possible. It really did feel to you then as if you were one, as if you connected in ways you never did before. As if you did find a way to interface after all.

You had no idea how many minutes have passed, but he pressed his forehead against your after what felt like _forever._

“I love you so much.” He whispered, post-coital bliss still a blush over his skin.

“I love you too,” you answered, smiling and just relaxing to the feeling of _Simon._

You suddenly realized that you were still sitting on the cupboard, the wooden texture and the wall behind it very uncomfortable against your bare skin. But Simon was there with you, placing kisses all over your face, neck and shoulders, whispering sweet nothings as he continued, his voice still shaky and laced with lust.

"You're so beautiful," the softness of his lips continued to wake goosebumps on your skin. "So soft. So sweet. I love you. _I love you._ "

His voice was making you warm, comfortable and _sleepy._   You wanted to stay like this forever, even though the cupboard was _extremely_ uncomfortable. His hands were welcoming, tender and so careful with the touches. You leaned into every single brush of his fingertips against your skin, chasing the sweet sensation of bliss and warmth.

Still, you _did_ have to move at some point. He slid out of you slowly, making sure that your knee was secured, still holding you close. He picked you up and carried you to the bathtub, trying not to stumble on the wet clothes scattered across the hall.

“That… that was _incredible._ ” He said, placing you in the tub and starting the water to fill it for you. “I didn’t know it could be so… _intense._ ”

“It was,” you whispered, hand holding his and not letting go even for a second. “It was amazing. I didn’t know you were so good at this, Simon.”

“I’m not _good,_ ” he actually seemed to be offended. “I just… kind of did what my instincts told me to. And seeing the pleasure on your face turned me on _so much more._ ”

You smiled, blushing a little. It was so easy for Simon to talk about those things. But then again, why dance around the subject?

“You wanna take a bath with me?” You asked, fingers grazing the skin of his hand.

“I, uhh… I don’t really need to.”

“I know. But it’s warm. And it makes you smell nice.”

He eyed the water curiously, turning the faucet to stop the flow. You reached behind you and put a bath bomb inside. It made the water pink and _glittery._

“Alright,” he said, climbing into the bath and sinking under the water. It was actually nice to feel the warmth. “If you insist.”

“I _do,_ ” you said, putting emphasis on the ‘do’. “Because I don’t ever want to be apart from you again.”

He scooted closer to you in the bathtub, making sure your knee was above the water level. When that was taken care of, he touched your cheek and smiled this incredible, warm smile that always made your heart melt.

“You won’t have to,” he whispered, placing a sweet kiss on your lips. “I’m not leaving you again.”

And with that, you stayed in the warm water, foreheads pressed against each other, smiles painting your faces the most wonderful kind of bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for sticking with me. I really hope you liked this story! There's one more chapter to go before I wrap this up and I just want you to know that every single comment I received on this made me so incredibly happy I could cry.  
> Thank you for taking this journey with me!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Connor asks you for another favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO MUCH everyone! I had so much fun writing this and I'm so glad you liked it and that you left your comments under the chapters. I will be going through the chapters again to edit some typos now that I'm done with the story. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I loved coming up with it. Now I have to think about the next thing to write, which will probably be a Simarkus fic :3
> 
> Also, the title of this fanfiction was taken from a song by my favourite band, Oceansize. It's a beautiful song with wonderful lyrics. Go give it a listen! There's a link at the bottom of this chapter.

The next two months were very busy for you. You reorganized the workshop completely, set up a project plan for your support to New Jericho, put some additional interviews and lectures into your calendar and slowly started to get back to work. Your knee was still bugging you from time to time, but it was nothing too serious and it wasn’t stopping you from work anymore. Now that the orthosis was gone you almost felt back to normal.

Your classes at the university started again, students approaching you with congratulations and words of support. It was a new and weird feeling, but also pleasant in a way. You were also happy to notice that some of the androids decided to come back to work in the building. Tina, an android you remembered well from the cafeteria, could be seen behind the counter again, smiling at the customers and making the most amazing coffee once again. She smiled warmly when you approached and added additional marshmallows to your cappuccino.

You were glad to see that more and more participants visited your lectures. Those open to the general public became very popular, usually filling the audience in seconds. You kept answering questions and explaining ideas and the fact that people actually wanted to learn was your best reward.

There were still some hateful comments on the Internet, but Connor usually had those under control and tracked every single person threatening the safety of you or any other activist. He was relentless in his pursuit of the adversaries, ultimately becoming the most feared individual in the force when it came to online crimes.

You did feel much safer than before. Not only due to Connor’s actions, but also due to the fact that more and more people shared your point of view. There were entire talk-shows dedicated to coexistence of humans and androids where the hosts would interview representatives of both species. More and more legal changes were being introduced, punishing crimes against androids in the same way that those against humans would be. There were discussions about providing housing for the androids and to pay for the work they do. The future did seem a little brighter after all.

And then there was Simon at home with you, helping you with repairs, plans and workshop supplies. He was loving, caring and sweet, making you feel like you had a _partner_ for the first time in your life. His smiles were different now - wider, more genuine and reflecting in his eyes too. He would basically smile with his entire body. He seemed to be absolutely fine with the fact that there were more people in your house now - both android and human, depending on what you were working on at the moment. Markus, North and Josh visited from time to time, bringing injured androids for repairs or just to chat with you and Simon. As it was much calmer now and they didn’t have to worry about their lives anymore, they would sometimes enjoy the comfort of your home to just unwind and relax. It was pretty lively during the day, but you didn’t mind - you enjoyed their company and you actually started thinking about them as friends at some point.

But the nights, the nights were always reserved for just the both of you. You would lay in your bed, bodies flush against each other, exchanging kisses, touches and just enjoying each other’s presence, whispering words of love and adoration, mapping each other’s skin with fingertips to memorize every single inch. You enjoyed those lazy evenings so much, Simon’s strong arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you close, his lips pressed against your neck, blonde hair nuzzling your chin. Sometimes it would be you who would embrace him first, arms around his neck, chest against his, your kisses innocent at first, but turning passionate in the manner of _seconds_ whenever he would moan against your lips. He would always make you feel so _good,_ so _wanted,_ so incredibly _hot_ and _loved._ The way he made love to you was the sweetest thing ever, words of praise running down his lips every single time, turning into whimpers whenever you would focus your attention on him in return. You wanted to make sure that he experiences nothing but pleasure with you and by rA9, _did you succeed._ There was nothing he wanted more than _you._

And you were so, so eager to give.

One morning he was making breakfast and you snuck up on him, pressing soft kisses to his shoulders. He purred as you pressed your chest against his back, wrapping your arms around his waist.

“Good morning,” he said, relaxing into your touch. “Are we feeling okay today?”

“Sure we are,” you whispered against his skin. “How’s breakfast coming?”

“Two more minutes. The eggs are still a little runny and I know you don’t like them that way.”

You kissed his cheek, poured yourself a cup of coffee and sat on the kitchen counter.

“Connor sent me a message,” you said, sipping on the coffee. Was it _hazelnut_ that you were tasting? “He’s going to drop by around noon. Apparently he has something important to discuss.”

“And he couldn’t have just done it on the phone?”

“I guess not. Maybe it’s _too_ important.”

You ate fast, knowing that you have a lot to do that day. As soon as you were done with breakfast you put on your working uniform and checked the timeline displayed on one of the walls. A lady was coming over with an android with heavy structural damage to his right arm and after that you were supposed to take a look at a YK500 with skin coverage problems. It was still early so you should be able to finish before noon, but you had to plan carefully because you had a lot of paperwork to deal with after that. So as soon as the lady arrived in your workshop, Simon made some tea for her while she relaxed in the garden and you started the repairs on the arm.

You were glad to notice how much the weather was changing. It was starting to get warmer, flowers were blooming here and there, trees were already covered with green leaves; it was finally spring at its finest. Ralph offered to help you with your garden and he visited from time to time, trying to come up with some arrangements that you would like. Seeing how eager and happy this work made him you actually never wanted him to be done with it. He kept bringing new flowers, plants and decorations and you had to admit that he had an amazingly minimalistic taste that you appreciated very much. So you just let him do whatever he wanted, very glad to see how much it pleased him.

When you sat down in the kitchen to eat lunch around noon, Ralph was also there. He sat down with you to talk about a new flowerbed he was planning as you ate. Your discussion was interrupted by a doorbell which you assumed announced Connor’s visit.

“Excuse me for a second, Ralph,” you said, standing up to open the door. “Connor was supposed to visit today and I believe it’s him.”

“Oh, sure, no problem. Ralph will just get back to work. Please tell Ralph if you need anything!”

You smiled and waved a hand at him as he disappeared back in the garden. It was actually fun to have him around. It was cute how much effort he put into working on your garden.

You opened the door and saw Connor standing there. Seeing the look on his face actually made your heart sink a little.

“Hey Connor,” you said, looking at him. “Are you okay?”

“No,” he answered. “And that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh, sure. Come on in. We can sit in the living room.”

You sat down and it brought back the memory of Connor and Hank visiting you earlier to ask about deviancy. You smiled to yourself. Who would have thought that half a year from then you would be sitting here as colleagues, Connor actually being the one responsible for the greatest thing that happened to you in your entire life.

It was him who brought Simon to you after all.

“What’s wrong, Connor?” You asked, sitting next to him on a sofa. He blinked a few times, the expression on his face still pained and uncertain.

“I… I did a lot of thinking recently. And I realized that while I was hunting deviants I greatly hurt some of my own kind. I’m trying to make up for it in a way, but there are some things I can’t take back myself.”

You sighed. You actually felt sorry for him.

“Connor, it’s not your fault. CyberLife is responsible for these actions, not you. You were following orders and very strict programming. I’m actually surprised you were able to grow so much, considering that some learning mechanisms have been disabled for you to make sure you don’t learn the way other android models did.”

Connor looked at you then, a sad smile on his face.

“I know. I can explain all this rationally too. But it doesn’t change the fact that I was the one who actually _did_ all those things. And I really want to make up for them.”

“I understand. I will help you as much as I can.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. I don’t want to abuse your kindness, but there is one specific case that I’m not able to work on myself. It includes extensive repairs on a very damaged android body.”

You wanted to ask more questions, but Simon came into the living room at this exact moment. Noticing Connor, he smiled and came closer, greeting him. As he placed a soft kiss on your lips he sat down next to you.

Connor looked puzzled.

“Are you…?” He asked, not really knowing what words he should use.

“Oh. _Oh,_ ” You just realized that he had no way to know the details. You blushed. “We’re together, yes. If that’s what you wanted to ask about.”

Connor’s smile suddenly became warmer and more sincere.

“I’m very happy to hear this,” he said. “I heard Markus talk about you as close friends, but I didn’t know there was more to this story.”

“Now you do.” You smiled at him too and then turned to Simon, kissing his forehead affectionately. “Still, you were talking about a very damaged android. Can you tell us more? Simon is helping me with repairs now, so he’ll need to hear this too.”

Connor closed his eyes for a second. You were sure he would sigh heavily if he could.

“At the beginning of my career as a deviant hunter, I was sent to retrieve a hostage from an android who wanted to hurt her. He was going to be replaced with a new model, so he got scared and killed the father in shock, threatening to kill a little girl too. When I arrived at the scene, he was already panicking, obviously ready to hurt her in confusion. In order to save her, I had to promise him that everything was going to be okay if he let her go. Unfortunately…” Connor paused for a second. “Unfortunately I didn’t know that they were going to shoot him anyway. As soon as the girl was safe, the snipers started shooting. Long story short, I had to reactivate him at some point during my investigation and when he accused me of lying, I couldn’t forget the look on his face ever since. I still think about it. He’s still detained in the police facility and turned off. I… I would like to ask you to try and repair him. I want to give him freedom in return for all the suffering.”

You looked at Simon and he nodded slightly, but you already knew you were going to say yes.

“Of course, Connor,” you said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll do what we can. You can bring him in. Can you tell us more? How are his limbs, what model is he, how extensive the damage is?”

“Pretty extensive. His jaw is broken, his arms and legs have been torn off. I will provide you with all the parts of course, just tell me what you need. I guess you will have to examine him first. He’s a PL600, just like Simon.”

“Well, at least we have experience then.” You smiled, squeezing Simon’s hand with your own.

“Can I bring him over today?”

“Sure. I can survey him and give you a list of parts.”

“Great. Thank you so much.”

When Connor left, you both went to the workshop to prepare schematics and system overviews for PL600s.

“I feel so sorry for him,” Simon said at some point. “The damaged PL600, I mean. There are so many situations where we’re the victims.”

“I know,” You sighed, looking through your tools. “It actually makes me feel uneasy. But I’ll do what I can to help him. Both because I want to help Connor ease his guilt and because I believe this android deserves a second chance too.”

Simon moved closer to you and smiled, wrapping his arms around your waist and placing his forehead against yours.

“That’s one of the reasons why I love you so much,” he whispered into your mouth, kissing you sweetly. “There are many more, of course, but your sensibility is a very admirable quality.”

“Oh, stop it,” You said, feeling a blush starting to bloom on your cheeks. “I’m sure you would do the same if you were in my place.”

“I would. It doesn’t make me admire you any less.”

You rolled your eyes, but couldn’t stop the smile that showed up on your face. Simon kissed you then, chasing the smile with his lips and tongue. The kiss was slow and passionate, making your legs weaker and weaker with every passing second. Just when you thought they were about to give in, Simon pulled away from you and buried his face in the crook of your neck.

“I love you, Simon.” You whispered, wrapping your hand in his hair. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” He kissed your neck and moved away, obviously conflicted about the fact that you both had to get back to work. You smiled at that and gave his cheek a quick peck.

You did need some time to prepare the workshop for such extensive repairs, mostly because you haven’t used the entire table for work in a while. When everything was ready for Connor’s arrival, you decided to go back home and get something to eat.

Connor came back late in the afternoon, driving a police van into your backyard. When he opened the back door, you gasped at the sight. The android, or what was left of him, was in a terrible state, much worse than Simon was when he arrived at your workshop. He was strapped to a huge panel and it was actually easier to carry him back then. Connor and Simon took him into the workshop and placed him on the table so that you could examine him.

You reached out a hand to touch his face, feeling tears well up in your eyes. He was an absolute wreck. Just as Connor said his limbs have been torn off. His jaw was damaged with a bullet from a sniper rifle and so was his body. And he looked _so much like Simon._

“Can you fix him?” Connor asked, worry obvious in his voice.

“I can,” You said, trying to swallow the lump forming in your throat. “But it will take some time. Why is he deactivated?”

“He was like that in the evidence room. I can activate him if you have an audio processor we can swap.”

“I do, actually.” You went to the adjacent room and reached for a box with a new audio processor stored on one of the shelves. “I was supposed to use it for another repair, but oh well.”

You replaced the audio processor and Connor interfaced with the android; you were surprised with how soon he opened his eyes.

Looking around and unable to move, you could see that he was both scared and extremely uncomfortable, his LED cycling between red and amber.

“Where… am I? Where have you brought me?!” The android shouted, looking at Connor.

“Daniel, I brought you here to be repaired. This is Y/N, she’s our best engineer. She will give you back your life. Simon will be helping her.”

“No,” Daniel spat, obviously getting angrier with every passing second. “Just let me die in peace. I don’t believe you. _You lied to me._ ”

You approached Connor and placed a hand on his shoulder, urging him to move away from Daniel. He did just that and you approached the android, making sure to stand close to him so that he could see you well.

“Daniel,” You said, looking him straight in the eyes. “I know you’re scared, but I want to help you. I have already repaired a PL600 android that was badly damaged. I can do this, but only if you let me.”

Simon approached the table as well, standing next to you.

“She’s telling the truth,” He said, making sure Daniel saw him as well. “Please trust us, Daniel. Many things have changed and humans no longer pose a threat to androids. After we repair you, you can start a new life and choose to do whatever you want.”

Daniel’s eyes darted between you and Simon, obviously processing what he was hearing.

“I’m very sorry, Daniel,” Connor spoke suddenly. “I didn’t want this to happen to you. There’s no single day I don’t regret what happened. That’s why I brought you here. I want to give you another chance. I want to make this right.”

“But I don’t have anywhere left to go,” Daniel said suddenly after a while of remaining silent.

“You can worry about that when we repair you,” You said, tentatively reaching out to touch his face. He was surprised with the gentle touch, but didn’t flinch. As you brushed his skin with your palm, he actually leaned into it, closing his eyes. “But you can start thinking about it while we’re here. We will help you. There are so many options to choose from! You can help other androids, help people, find a job you feel comfortable with. I’m sure you’re going to like this new world.”

“Or you can go to New Jericho,” Simon spoke. “Many androids went there to find out their true purpose in life. You should give it a try, just to calm down after everything that happened to you.”

Daniel gave him a puzzled, but much calmer look.

“New Jericho? Is it a safe place for androids?”

“Yes, Daniel. Androids live and work there, talk to each other, interact with people, learn to live new lives. It’s a wonderful place full of hope. I’m sure you’re going to like it.”

Daniel smiled. It was a sad smile, but one that did show some hope hidden underneath. Even if just a little, it still made you feel better. If he lets you help him, you will do everything you can to give him a new start in life.

He looked at Simon and then at you, nodding slowly. Without thinking much, you reached higher to brush his hair away from his forehead. When you noticed him leaning into this gesture too, you smiled.

“Nobody will ever hurt you again, Daniel. I promise.” You spoke, still stroking his hair. “We’ll take good care of you.”

Opening his eyes, Daniel looked at you, his gaze still a little uncertain, but a little bit warmer.

“Thank you. That would be wonderful.”

Simon came into his view again, giving him a reassuring smile.

“I can promise you that you will be taken care of by the best engineer I’ve ever met. And the kindest human being, too.”

You chuckled at his words, nudging him in the arm.

“Stop with the compliments and prepare him for thirium veins replacement. I’ll go grab some thrium and start mapping the veins.”

As you turned away from the table, you noticed Connor still standing there with an unreadable expression.

“Don’t worry, Connor. We’ll take good care of him and I’m sure he will forgive you at some point. You just have to be patient.”

“Thank you,” he said, his voice heavy with worry. “It doesn’t matter if he forgives me, I just… I just want him to be able to live.”

“He will. You’ll see.”

Connor left then and you went in the back to bring the necessary components to the table. You stood beside Simon and looked at Daniel again.

“As I was saying,” You heard Simon talking. “They will help you at New Jericho. You don’t have to decide right away, you know. You have all the time in the world now.”

Daniel looked at Simon, his expression much calmer now.

“And you? Have you found your purpose in life?” He asked, his voice laced with hope.

Simon looked at you then, reaching out to hold your hand.

“Yes. I have.”

Feeling the brush of his skin made you realize that so have you.

  


_I can hold you all together_

_You wont fall with the troops that we assembled_

_And the bond we've forged_

_Though this sketch is getting old now the cracks don't show_

_Time wont change a thing when i'm gone_

_Don't grip the wheel too tightly my son_

_Everything you need is done, I woulda thought we'd won by now_

_but oh no_

_I have known no other method_

_So don't presume there's wisdom_

_When all that I am is time now_

_And the cold_

_The fruition in the detail is all that drives me_

 

**_I am not the picture now_ **

**_I am the frame_ **

 

[ **Oceansize** , _The Frame_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODw2B1ZL4Ps)


End file.
